City of Crossed Time
by aprill99
Summary: The MI gang tries a Portal to a Clave meeting in London but end up in 1878 after a Magnus style mistake. The MI and ID gangs meet up and have to deal with Mortmain and meeting their distant family members. MI tries to get back to their time. Can the world take the combined sarcasm of Jace and Will? Better than it sounds I promise! Pairings are the same as the books
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, my name is not Cassandra Clare. That means I don't own anything to do with the mortal instruments apart from the books which I paid sale prices for at Walmart**

Jace was feeling skeptical. That was hardly unusual. For Jace feeling skeptical wasn't so much a mood as a highly refined and practiced state of being. The unusual thing in this case was the purpose. Jace, Clary, Alec, and Isabelle were all standing over a swirling Portal that was glowing an eerily cheerful periwinkle blue color. The portal in question had been created by an equally brightly colored Magnus Bane.

"Are you sure that this will work?" Jace asked with some trepidation.

Magnus made an offended sound. "Of course I'm sure! According to me calculations I am nearly certain that there is no possibility that you will all end up tragically killed or lost in another dimension."

"Nearly no possibility?" Alec said nervously. "How nearly is your nearly?"

"Don't worry Darling," Magnus said soothingly. "There is at lest a 90% chance that you will end up in the London Institute for the joint Clave meeting in two minutes flat."

"What's the other 10%?" Clary asked warily. it was very important that they actually got to the meeting. The entire Clave was meeting to discuss the Sebastian situation. Or more accurately the Jonathan situation. Since Jonathan was Clary's brother and had performed illegal magic to brainwash Jace, it was kind of important that they both actually got to the meeting. Alec was going because he was Jace's _parabati, _and Isabelle had refused point blank to let both of her brothers and Clary go on a trip to London without her.

Isabelle grabbed her bag filled with clothing and gear and stepped forward with a toss of her hair and grabbed Alec's arm. "Just go already!" she exclaimed, and being ever the action oriented one, shoved her protesting brother through the portal. She jumped through right after him.

Jace slung his own bag over his shoulder, looked at Clary and shrugged. "It's faster than a plane anyway," he said holding out his hand.

Clary smiled and put her free hand in his. "I hope you know that if we die I will personally beet you up in the afterlife for dying _again,_" she told him.

"Dually noted," Jace assured her with a grin. "Now let's get through that Portal so we can go to a very long and boring meeting in a building that looks exactly like this one in a city where almost everything is backwards from how it's supposed to be."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "So I take it you are not a fan of England?"

"Ducks," Jace muttered. "There are lot's of ducks there. England has ducks the way New York has pigeons. I find any country that has that many ducks to be incredibly untrustworthy."

"I hate to interrupt," Magnus broke in. "But if you don't get through the Portal now it's going to be closing. Maybe you can tackle Jace's duck phobia once you actually get to the meeting. Not that I really care weather or not you get to the meeting in question."

Jace made a face at the warlock and jumped through the Portal still holding Clary's hand.

Magnus made a gesture with his hand, and the portal snapped shut. He took out a pocket handkerchief and began to wipe away the symbols that made up the Portal. He let his brain pass over the things he had been trying not to think about for the past several hours. As soon as he had gotten word that the Clave meeting was in London Institute, thoughts of Will, Tessa, Jem, Jessamine, Charlotte, and Henry had started weighing in on his brain. That was a slight problem because when you created a Portal it was very important to picture the place and time you wanted the Portal to go to. If you thought about the right place but the wrong time, you could wind up with a Portal that took you to the complete wrong century.

Magnus might have accidentally thought about the London Shadowhunters of 1878 when he had made the Portal. That had the potential to make the future exceedingly more complicated. Besides, he wasn't sure that any one century could handle both Jace and Will at one time. A universe could only take so much arrogance and tortured sarcasm.

Well they were gone now, so there was not really anything to do. Unless... Magnus frowned in concentration and squatted down on the polished library floor. He reached out and drew a small series of runes with his finger. Glowing lines sprouted from his finger tip as he created a very small time connection from that spot to Camille's house in 1878 where he had been staying at the time. If his friends had been sent to the wrong century, he would get an alert, and be able to make contact.

Just in case...

* * *

**The library, London Institute, 1878**

"Is this a game?" Will asked, puzzled. "We just blurt out whatever word comes net to mind? In that case mine is 'genuphobia'. It means an unreasonable fear of knee caps."

"What's the word for a personally reasonable fear of annoying idiots?" Jessamine inquired.

Before Will could answer her with a witty retort, a loud whooshing sound filled the room. It was as though a miniature windstorm had filled the room. Tessa clutched at her ears as they popped painfully.

A moment later, two forms fell through the roof landing hard on the floor. There where a few grunts and moans of pain that hinted that the people were in fact human. A muffled male voice was heard saying, "get off me Izzy!"

A third shape fell through the library ceiling, dressed all in black. This for landed much more neatly than the other two. Instead of an undignified flop, he tucked his head and rolled quickly to a standing position.

"Jace!" Called the same muffled voice. "Get Isabelle off of me!"

"Mmm..." the boy called Jace mused. "No," he said decisively. "The two of us against Isabelle would hardly be sporting."

A girl who must have been Isabelle said. "It would only be unfair because you would lose!"

"No," Jace said coolly. "It would be unfair because your idiot older brother still can't get over the urge to protect you which means I would be doing all of the work, and frankly, I don't feel like the effort right now."

"Your loyalty warms my heart," the boy being crushed muttered.

Jace shrugged. "Think of it this way Alec," he said, giving name to the other boy. "You would have to pay a chiropractor good money to crack your back that way. Izzy is doing it for free.

Alec rolled over and shoved Isabelle on to the floor. Then he climbed to his feet and turned to face Jace. That also put him facing the group of London Shadowhunters.

Tessa felt her jaw drop. This boy looked startlingly like Will at a first glance. He had the same spill of ink black hair, and blue eyes, although his irises where perhaps a few shades lighter than Will's where. He was also a few inches taller. His eyes were also more open then Will's. They were open, honest, and more anxious then confident or arrogant.

Alec's jaw dropped momentarily when he noticed the group. Jace noticed and spun around so he was facing them as well.

Tessa, who had barely managed to bring her jaw back up again after seeing Alec felt it drop again at the sight of this boy. With his back turned all that could be seen of his features was his wiry build, and golden blonde hair which seemed to reflect and absorb all of the light in the room. But when he face them it was clear that his coloring was as golden as Jem's was silver. His skin was a pale, crisp, tan. His eyes were the same sparkling, changing, gold as honey. His features were handsome and angular, with pronounced cheek and jaw bones, and full lips. His eyes were wide set. Over all, Jace's sleepy arrogance, and predatory air reminded Tessa undeniably of a lion.

Jace seemed to take in everyone and everything with a quick flick of his eyes, before his features arranged themselves into a charming smile. "Excuse us," he said in a pleasant, American voice. "We didn't mean to interrupt a meeting of the Shakespeare society. Just give us a moment until our friend get's here and we'll be on our way."

Charlotte found her voice and asked the obvious question. "Who are you?"

"No one that you need to worry about," Jace assured off handedly, keeping his eyes fixed on the still glowing section of the ceiling.

Jessamine had a different question. "What in the Angel's name are you wearing?"

Isabelle got to her feet which allowed the group to get a good look at her. She was tall and slender, her hair was the same ink black as her brothers, and fell to well below her shoulders in soft curls. Her eyes were a few shades darker blue than Alec's and were even more similar to Will's. The pale blue velvet coat she was wearing set off her coloring even farther. She wore the same dark blue trousers made of a material that Tessa didn't recognize.

"Look who's talking," she said in a haughty voice.

Will's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "_Cecily," _he gasped.

Isabelle looked at him sideways. "Um, no. It's Isabelle, and that's my brother Alec. The arrogant blonde over there is Jace."

"I resent that," Jace said without shifting his gaze. "I prefer to think of myself as aware as to the full extent of my personal charms."

"That's not important right now," Alec said stepping forward. Now that Jessamine had brought up there clothes Tessa couldn't help but take in the way the two boys were dresses. They wore the same kind of pants as Isabelle, and the shoes on all of them looked like boots that had been cut off just below the ankles. "Jace. She referred to the Angel."

"I heard her Alec," Jace replied. "I think we may be in the right place at the wrong time."

"Oh," Alec's eyes widened as the full implication of what she had said sunk in. "_Oh,"_

"Indeed," Jace agreed. "You don't have to agree with everything I say you know. I obviously agree with it since I said it first." At that moment the portal rippled again and a fourth form dropped towards the floor in a flash of red hair. Jace caught the falling girl easily, and Tessa guessed that she was what he had been waiting for.

The girl blinked up at Jace to get her bearings. "Thank you," she said in a soft, high, voice.

Jace grinned. "My pleasure." He helped the girl to her feet.

"Oh sure," Alec said skeptically. "Her you'll help."

"You came through the portal before me," Jace pointed out. "Besides," he gestured at the girl. "Clary," he gestured back at Alec. "Alec my somehow still fashion challenged _parabati. _Work the math it's not that difficult."

"Jace that's enough," the girl named Clary said quietly. A rosy blush coloring her pale cheeks. "Can someone explain to me how we ended up crashing in on the Historical Reenactment Club?"

"We didn't," Jace told her.

She looked up at him in confusion. At that moment Tessa noticed just how small Clary was. her head barely reached Jace at chest height. She looked very similar to Charlotte in terms of build, and her hair fell to her shoulders in curly waves. The fiery waves framed her delicate facial features and showed in stark contrast to her pale face and big green eyes. "Explain please," she said.

Jace raised his bright golden eyes to Will and Jem. Tessa thought that perhaps he felt more comfortable addressing boys his own age. "Can you tell me the date please," he said in a measured voice.

"November 4th of 1878 in the year of our lord," Jem answered automatically.

Clary's face cleared in understanding but she still looked a little confused. "Who are these people?" she asked.

Charlotte snapped back to herself. "Of course. We haven't introduced ourselves. Forgive us your sudden appearances were rather shocking. "I am Charlotte Branwell and this is my husband Henry. We run the London Institute. I assume you are from one of the ones in America." Most of the runes on them were well hidden by their clothes, but the open eye runes on their hands were still clearly displayed. Jace, who was more heavily marked than the others also had an array of marks on his upper chest and lower arms.

Alec nodded. "Mine and Isabelle's parents run the New York Institute. Jace lives there with us, and Clary lives in the city."

"New York?" Tessa asked suddenly. Speaking up for the first time since the strange Shadowhunters had entered the room. "Has it changed much since I've been there?"

The group exchanged glances. Isabelle quickly worked the mental math. if this was really 1878 then that meant the brunette girl hadn't been there in there equivalent of 135 years. "Yes," Isabelle said. "It has changed. Quite a bit actually."

Tessa felt a little bit crestfallen. Charlotte looked pointedly at Jem to continue the introductions.

He got the hint. "I'm James Carstairs, but please call me Jem." Jessamine got bored with the proceedings and flounced from the room in a swirl of skirts. The door to the library slammed behind her. "That was the ever lovely Jessamine Lovelace," Jem finished.

Will had already assessed most of the group, strange clothing included. He now moved his eyes to the red haired girl called Clary. She looked the opposite to Isabelle who was so much like his younger sister that it was eerie. Tall, dark haired, with sharp features and blue eyes. She also had the same fierce aura to her. Clary on the other hand, was small and delicate looking. Petite was the term Will thought. The soft cast to her features only heightened the image of her as being younger than she actually was. Her eyes were big and the same color as an emerald, surrounded by thick black lashes. They also held a fierce determination. Will thought that she seemed very like Charlotte.

Jace noticed the other boy's critical eyes and shifted closer to Clary, weaving his fingers through hers. "Who are you then?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Will met his gaze calmly. Clearly Jace was a protective kind of person. "I am William Herondale," he proclaimed.

**A/N: So? Is this story worth continuing? I hope I portrayed the characters correctly. Review if you liked it so I can get you more chapters. If you didn't like it, review anyway. I find anonymous criticism healthy.**

**P.S. Who else is stoked for the movie this summer?! Imagine the reactions from everyone who sees the end of the movie without reading the books. I foresee many exploding heads. What about you?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, we would have seen both Jace and Will shirtless a lot more than the books describe.**

Clary, who was standing closest to Jace actually felt his body tense. His muscles locked together, and his eyes narrowed until all that was visible was a tiny glint of gold. Clary, Isabelle, and Alec all looked from Jace to Will nervously. Knowing Jace, he could do anything from make a joke, to walk up and punch Will in the face.

Clary shifted a little closer to Jace and tried to give as much support as was possible without speaking. His hand tightened around hers to the point where she was starting to worry that he might break a few of her fingers by accident.

Jem regarded them curiously. The blond boy Jace looked the same way that Will did when he was trying very hard to keep his face impassive. He was doing a fairly good job of it to, but Jem could see the tension he was holding in every single one of his muscles. Besides, judging from the look on Clary's face, Jace was about a moment away from crushing the small bones in her hand. That was another odd thing, Jem reflected. Normally a gentleman would never take a ladies hand in public, or at all for that matter, but the small red haired girl looked as though she expected nothing different.

Finally Alec spoke to break the momentary silence. "Well," his voice sounded to loud. He cleared his throat and started again. "Well it's nice to meet all of you. We really are sorry for breaking up your meeting. We didn't mean to be here believe me. Would it be too much trouble for you if we stayed here at the Institute for a few days until we can work out our situation?"

Alec's polite diplomacy broke some of the tension and brought everyone back on a workable course of action. Charlotte called for Sophie. Jem managed to engage Alec and Isabelle in conversation as Will sunk lower in his chair.

Clary gave a sigh of relief as Jace loosened his fingers. He looked down at her. "Sorry," he murmured. "Is your hand alright."

She smiled and lifted her hand to show him her fingers. Blood was starting to chase out the white in her fingers with new color and a tingly rush. "No harm, no foul," she assured him.

Jace lifted her hand and inspected the pale bruise that was beginning to form before kissing it lightly. "All better."

His head snapped up as he heard the door open and saw Sophie. He relaxed again when he deemed her non-threatening and drew Clary over to the chairs that had been recently vacated. Those seats happened to be next to Henry who hadn't been able to find anything to say for most of the conversation.

"Sophie," Charlotte said. "Do you think you could find anything of mine or Jessamine's for the two young ladies to wear?"

Sophie assessed Isabelle and Clary with a professional eye. Finding something for Miss Clary would be easy as she was built quite like Charlotte and would also likely fit in something of Miss Jessamine's. However, Miss Isabelle's height made it more difficult to find something for her to wear. "Yes Ma'am," she answered. "We have several spare rooms ready as well. I only just cleaned them out today."

"Isabelle could wear one of my dresses," Tessa suggested. She had already noticed the height issue, and assumed that something of hers would fit the tall girl most easily.

Charlotte nodded. "Jem, Will, could both of you find a set of clothes for Mr... and his friend Mr..." she trailed off hopelessly at the realization that she didn't know the last names of any member of the group. "Jace and Alec," she said instead.

Will stood. "Both of you come with me," he said to Jace and Alec. "Both of you are closer to my height than Jem's, and anything of Henry's runs the risk of blinding you."

"Well in the interests of preserving my sight," muttered Jace. as he stood up.

Charlotte stood and walked out of the room followed by Jem as he explained his idea about the Reparations archives more fully.

Sophie gestured for Isabelle and Clary to come with her and Tessa decided to go along. She enjoyed talking with Sophie and Charlotte, and half-decent conversation could occasionally be extracted from Jessamine, but lately Tessa had been feeling rather deprived of conversation from girls her own age.

As they walked down the corridor Isabelle gave her best superstar smile. "So you're Sophie and Tessa?" she checked.

Sophie nodded. "Yes Miss."

Isabelle frowned. "If I'm going to call Sophie then you are going to call me Isabelle," she insisted. "Clary is Clary, Alec is Alec, and Jace is Jace. Speaking of Jace," she said as a thought occurred to her. "If he gives either of you any trouble at all feel free to hit him in the head with something heavy."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Tessa asked with some alarm.

The dark haired girl waved away her words. "Please! I've been doing it for years and I've yet to see any signs of lasting brain damage. Besides," she added as an after thought. "Any guy who can survive being run through with various swords three times in four months can take a whack with a book."

"Isabelle," Clary said nervously. "Maybe you can hold off on telling stories about extreme violence until after we know everyone a little bit better?"

Tessa took the opportunity to redirect the conversation to topics that were a little less bloody than stabbing and they soon reached Tessa's room after stopping briefly for Sophie to collect a dress of Charlotte's that she thought might suit Clary. Actually changing into the dresses took quite a bit longer. To say that Clary and Isabelle were unsure about how the clothing was supposed to go on would be putting it mildly.

It took nearly half an hour to help both girls with the layers that made up Victorian clothing, and more time still for them to master moving around in it. Isabelle perfected how to move and walk in the dress she had borrowed from Tessa much more quickly than Clary did. For Clary, walking around in jeans and a T-shirt was hard enough to do without tripping. Floor length skirts were doing nothing to help her balance.

Once clothing had been established, Isabelle tried again to make conversation. "My middle name is Sophia," she told Sophie lightly. "Is it a family name for you?"

Sophie ducked her head away from Isabelle's watchful gaze. "No Miss. I believe my mother simply felt taken by the name at my time of birth."

"That's how I got my name," Clary said with a shrug. "God only knows why she named me Clary."

"Some stories say that eating the seeds of Clary sage would let you see the fair folk. Perhaps that's why," Tessa suggested.

Clary smiled a little. "I doubt it. My mother wanted me kept away from all of this. She even had a warlock cloud my sight. I only found out about Shadowhunters and magic a few months ago."

"Then you and I are in much the same boat," Tessa said kindly.

"What are you exactly?" Isabelle asked bluntly.

Clary, taking a piece of Isabelle's own advice and picked up a book from a low table before using it to hit Isabelle with. Ignoring her friends muttered cursing she turned to apologize to Tessa.

Tessa held up her hand . "It's alright Clary. But I'm afraid it's rather a long story."

"We have time if you feeling like telling us," Clary said gently. "Our stories are long to. It would probably take a few days to tell the whole thing to anyone.

Tessa lifted her shoulders and let them drop again in a shrug. "One must always be careful with stories and words. Words have the power to change us all."

"I prefer pictures," Clary murmured.

Sophie, who had been on the point of leaving the room turned back at that. "Do you draw Mis- Clarissa."

Clary nodded and dug through her bag to find her sketch pad. "I draw in this," she explained. "All of the things I can't stand to forget. The types of things that are too beautiful for words. Do you draw?"

Sophie shook her head. "I've tried. I just don't seem to have the natural talent for it."

"I could teach you," Clary offered.

But Sophie merely shook her head. "It's very kind of you to offer Miss," she said. "But I have work to be getting on with," with that she curtsied and left the room."

Isabelle shrugged as the door closed. "I just count on Alec leaving notes around the house about the things I shouldn't forget."

"That sounds like a solid system," Clary commented dryly. "Is that why I keep on finding reminders about things written on the insides of egg cartons?"

After that the conversation flowed very naturally. Tessa found that it was very easy to talk with Clary and Isabelle, and eventually she did explain what she knew of the situation. After all, she had reasoned. They might be staying at the institute for a while. They would have to find out sometime.

* * *

Jace and Alec had had much better luck with maneuvering in their own clothing. It was a good deal stiffer than their regular clothes, but other then that it posed no old set of clothing from Jem had fit for Alec though the sleeves were a few inches too short, and a pair of Will's clothes had fit Jace almost entirely too well for Will's taste. They looked like they had been tailor made for Jace's body and he found that fact comforting. Jace might have been arrogant and vain about his appearance, but he had good reason at the very least.

Jace picked his way through the room with extreme caution. It was _impressively _messy. Objects were strewn across the floor and every available surface was covered with the debris of every day life. He lifted a few items from the seat of a chair and shifted the entire pile to a nearby table. The book on top was one Jace recognized. After all it was the exact same copy of _A Tale of Two Cities _that he had inherited from Stephen Herondale. Just to be sure he flipped it open to the cover page and sure enough, there it was, written in untidy hand writing: _Property of William Herondale. _

As he flipped pages, several folded pieces of paper fell out. Jace gave them a cursory glance and then made a tsk tsk sound with his tounge. "Jeez Billy Boy. Last time I checked, girls didn't like it when you read their mail."

Will snapped around. "Give those to me," he said coldly. He grabbed the letters from Jace's hand without receiving protest, but he did notice the blonde's eyes narrow infinitesimally. Something seemed off about him. The cocky arrogance he possessed rubbed Will immediately the wrong way. Something about Jace seemed... unstable. Like one of Henry's explosives that could go off at any minute with no earlier warning if you didn't tread lightly. It threw him, and Will hated to be thrown. Normally he was the one who did the throwing.

He felt the sudden need to leave Jace's vicinity. "I'm going out," he announced to the pair in a stiff tone. "Don't touch anything of mine, and don't get into trouble around here. That's my job."

As soon as the door slammed behind him, Jace stretched out in his chair. "Well," he said. "It would seem sarcasm and rudeness coupled with a short temper are rather a family trait wouldn't it?"

"Jace-" Alec tried to say.

"Not much for neatness though is he my Great times something Gramps is he?" Jace said. Barreling on as if he hadn't heard Alec. "Do you think the gene might have been lost in the generations? Or did it just come from Mommy Dearest?"

"I know this is weird for you," Alec interrupted again.

Jace stood up. "No Alec. Finding out that Taki's is out of hash browns is weird for me. Running into random family members who are supposed to be safely dead and unable to bother me is becoming strangely high on the routine scale!" He sank tiredly back down onto the chair after his outburst and laughed without humor. "I just met the closest relative of my biological father alive today and he lives in Victorian London." He laughed again. "Do you think that counts as irony?"

Before he could answer there was a knock on the door and Jem poked his silver head around it. "I had hoped you two would be in here," he said. "Come on. Charlotte wants me to show you around before supper."

Alec and Jace followed him out the door. The same thought weighing on both of their minds.

_How much had Jem heard?_

**A/N: So? What do you think. I wasn't so sure about how this chapter turned out. You guys need to tell me how I should make it better. I thought that there should be a chapter for everyone to get a little more acquainted before we got into the heavy plot. Incase you guys hadn't noticed, this story is partly going through the plot of _Clockwork Prince _with alterations to work in my plot and the Mortal Instruments characters. Ihope you guys liked this chapter! Review to tell me if I should keep the fic going :) :) :) :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: hahahhahahha! No.**

Jace arrived early to breakfast the next morning. He had had trouble sleeping the night before, but that wasn't really unusual. Jace had never slept well in the first place unless he was physically exhausted enough to crash for a week. This resulted in some dark shadows under his eyes, and a questionably large dependence on caffeine. It did however, mean that Jace was hardly ever late for breakfast.

He had dressed automatically in the clothes Will had lent him, and splashed his face with cold water, but neither action had really brought up his mental function. By the time he reached the dining room, his mobility was about as good as someone nursing a bad hangover.

Jem, who had looked up expecting it to be Will, took the opportunity to asess the other boy. Jem had always thought that people were at their most open and vulnerable when they were tired. Jace's blond hair stuck up in every direction, his eyes where half-shut, and rimmed with pale blue shadows. The biggest difference that Jem could see between this version of Jace and the fully aware one was his posture. Normally the boy sat and stood like a soldier. Always straight-backed, tense, and ready for action. Now he looked very like a boy his age should look. His shoulders and back were a bit more slumped, and his actions as he sat and poured tea were automatic. Plainly, Jace looked quite a bit younger and more vulnerable. Jem couldn't help but compare the blonde to Will in that regard. Will carried the same wariness all of the time apart from the few hours before he had managed to eat and train.

"Good morning," Jem greeted.

Jace glanced wearily out the window. To him it still looked the same way it had yesterday. Which was to say, gray, rainy, and bleak. "What's so great about it?" he grumbled as he brought the cup of tea he had poured up to his mouth, taking a big swig of it before choking and going into a very large coughing fit.

Jem, startled began to move around the table to help him, but Jace held up a hand to stop him. When the coughing subsided he took a deep breath and moved the tea pot as far a way from him as he could reach. "Bergamot," he explained. "I _hate _bergamot."

"Any particular reason why?" Jem asked curiously.

Jace made a face and shook his head. "No, I just don't care for it. The same goes for cucumbers."

"What's wrong with cucumbers?"

"I find them slimy, seed filled, strangely shaped, and untrustworthy," Jace explained. He examined a plate of something. "What are those?"

"Poached eggs," Jem informed him.

Jace made a grim face and opted for an apple and something that he thought was probably sausage. He held out both hands, palms up. "Can you pass me the toast?"

Jem complied. He examined Jace's hands as he did so. They were the hands of a Shadowhunter, callused and scared; but they were clean of dirt or blood, and the nails were short and unbroken. His hands were long and thin fingered. If the scars had been gone they would have seemed almost delicate. Being the musician that he was, Jem couldn't help but think that Jace would excel at playing the piano. He also took note of the fact that the voyance rune was on the back of Jace's let hand meaning that that was his dominant side.

Jace took two slices of toast and settled the platter back on the table. He smeared one with raspberry jam and the other with blueberry before making them into a sandwich and ate the entire thing in two large bites. He then took the knife Alec had given him when they became _parabati _out of his pocket and proceeded to peel and slice his apple. He was aware of Jem watching him with some shock, but couldn't bring himself to care all that much.

Jem could see that conversation would have to be suspended until after Jace had eaten and returned to his own breakfast.

After a little while the other inhabitants of the Institute arrived. Everyone was feeling a little tired, so apart from greetings, conversation lacked a little. Will looked similarly tired to Jace. He had the same shadows around his eyes. Alec looked aware, but slightly out of it. Isabelle looked bright and awake talking with Charlotte. Jessamine had refused to make an appearance.

Clary almost tripped over the hem of her dress, but Jace reached out automatically and steadied her. "Thanks," she said. "I'm not used to having a skirt this long."

He blinked up at her. "No problem," he pushed out the chair next to him and passed Clary a plate of toast. "Eat up. Do you want tea?"

"Do they have coffee?" Clary asked hopefully.

"Doesn't look like it. The options are tea or water."

Clary grumbled a bit. "Tea it is then." Jace passed her a cup after adding cream and sugar. Clary brought it to her mouth and took a sip. "Hmm bergamot," she commented. "I guess that explains why you're not having any."

He grinned down at her. "I'm beginning to feel like you know me to well miss Fray."

"Well enough to know you didn't get any sleep last night," Clary said, brushing her fingers against the shadows under his eyes and reached up to flatten out his hair. "In fact, when was the last time you slept at all?"

Jace took her hand in his and moved it gently away from his face. "I'm fine Clary. I promise."

"Liar," Clary said softly, but she let the matter slide.

Charlotte, who had heard the conversation, recognized that kind of interaction. The look of concern on the younger girl's face as she peered up at Jace was the look of someone who had taken it upon themselves to take care of the health of another person who often forgot to do it themselves. Charlotte often found herself in the same position when Henry became engrossed in one of his projects. It was also similar to the way she saw Tessa look after both Will and Jem; using a combination of gentle convincing and wheedling, along with straight out threatening.

After everyone had eaten, Charlotte stood up. "Tessa, Sophie, both of you go and get ready for training. Clary, Isabelle, feel free to join them if you want to. The Lightwood boys should be here soon."

Alec, who had just taken a drink of water, nearly spat it out all over the table. Will thumped him on the back until he could breath again. Jace lowered his knife and fork for the first time since after Clary had entered.

Isabelle went very pale. "Did you say Lightwood?" she asked over the sound of Alec's choking.

"Judging by your reactions you've clearly met Gabriel," Will commented. "I must say I agree with you."

"We know of the family," Jace said shortly. He stood up. "Do you mind if I use the training room as well? I've been feeling the need to pummel something, and I highly doubt any of you are incredibly willing to volunteer."

Will and Jem considered volunteering to spar, but then noticed the frantic, "NO NO NO NO," gestures being mimed at them by Clary, Alec, and Isabelle and decided against it.

"I'll go to practice some knife skills," Jem volunteered.

"I'll join you," Alec said, having regained his breath.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Clary, Jace, Alec, and Isabelle reconvened in the hallway outside of their rooms. Everyone was feeling quite abit more comfortable in their shadow hunter gear then they had in their Victorian clothes.

"I guess it's a good thing that this gear hasn't changed in over a thousand years," Isabelle commented. "It doesn't do much for a girls figure though."

Jace looked at Alec and Isabelle. "Are you ready to meet great, great, great, great Granddaddy Lightwood and Co.?" he asked.

Alec and Isabelle nodded and all four of them began walking before a thought struck Clary. "Hold on," she said. "Charlotte said 'boys'. As in, plural. Which one is great, great, great, great, Granddaddy Lightwood and which one is Co?"

"Gabriel is great, great, great, great, Granddaddy Lightwood," Alec said. "The one named Gideon would be the Co," everyone, including Isabelle looked at him funny. Alec shrugged. "I took a look at our family tree last night," he said. He cast an accusatory glance at Jace. "Don't tell me you didn't spend a few hours going over yours."

"No, I did," Jace said casually. "I am now privy to the slightly disturbing information that I am actually your cousin about four times removed. In fact," he continued. "We are related to almost _everybody. _And I really do mean _everybody. _Herondales, Verlacs, Lightwoods, Yus, Carstairses, Pangborns, Blackthorns, Kingsmills, Whitelaws, Cartwrights, Collinses, Monteverdes, Monteclairs. If people aren't careful in the next few years, we're all going to end up horribly inbreed with also sorts of hideous birth defects."

"How are we cousins?" Isabelle asked curiously.

Jace laughed. "Apparently your great, great, great, great, Grandmamma is my great, great, great, great, Grandaunt."

"That is," Clary searched for the right words. "Really kind of terrifying."

"I thought so," Jace agreed. "Let's go meet them."

Alec entered the training room first only to hit the ground as Will chucked a knife and an apple at Gabriel's head. Both wound up impaled in the wood above him. Alec stood back up in the doorway and then began to back up. "On second thoughts," he said. "Jace, I think it might be better if we came back later."

Jace rolled his eyes and shoved past him into the room. He walked over to the knife that was quivering in the wall, and yanked it free, releasing the apple. He tossed the apple back at Will and wiped the knife off on his pants before examining it. "Nice knife," he commented. Then, with a movement that was so quick that it was nearly invisible to everyone else, launched it into the air. There was a loud thunk as the knife landed inches from Will's hair. "Maybe you shouldn't be throwing it at people who are standing in front of doors that could open at any moment."

Will narrowed his eyes at Jace and stood to retrieve his knife.

Gabriel was looking at Jace with something that bordered on respect. "Who are you?" he asked, not unpleasantly.

Jace turned his eyes on him. "Who are you?

"That seems to be the question of the day," Tessa commented.

Gideon stepped forward. "I am Gideon Lightwood and this is my younger brother Gabriel."

"I'm Jace," Jace said. "This is Clary, Alec, and Isabelle."

Gabriel examined Alec and Isabelle closely. "Are these two cousins of yours Herondale?"

Clary had to smother a giggle at that. Jace was more biologically related to Will then Alec or Isabelle, and yet the two boys looked almost nothing like each other.

"No," Will said cooly. "I have never met these people before yesterday when they very unexpectedly appeared in our library."

Isabelle flounced in. "We enjoy a dramatic entrance. Now that the testosterone fight is over, do you think we could actually get to work?" she didn't wait for an answer, instead she turned to Clary. "Feel like sparing Clary?"

Clary made a face. "I would like to be able to walk tomorrow actually Izzy," she said. She looked around hopefully. "I've come up with some new fighting runes though. I could use some guinea pigs who are willing to test them out."

Alec retreated to help Gideon with Sophie's lesson, and Isabelle had wandered away to examine an array of sharp objects.

Clary rolled her eyes, "wimps," she muttered. "When has a single one of my runes ever gone wrong? Right then you," she grabbed Jace by the hand and dragged him over to Will. "And you!" she declared taking his hand with her other one. She dragged the both slightly protesting boys away to a pile of mats and made them both sit.

Jem followed with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. It wasn't often that someone came along who could manage boys like Will and Jace.

Clary held up her stele. "Where would you like the rune Will?"

The dark haired boy turned to Jace. "Is there anyway I can avoid this?"

"No," Jace told him honestly. "There isn't. Just let it happen. Clary's never made a rune that did harm to the wearer."

Will sighed and held out his hand to Clary. "Left forearm." Clary drew a rune there. Will examined it. "What is it supposed to do?"

"Protect you from physical harm," Clary explained. "Your turn Jace."

Jace looked at both of his arms. "I haven't really got room on my arms."

Clary waved away the protests. "Chest then. It doesn't matter where you put it."

Jace sighed and pulled off his shirt to expose his chest. There were plenty of runes there to, but not as many. It also revealed the large ugly scar over his arm where the binding rune had been, and where he had been stabbed all three times.

Jem let out a low whistle. "What happened there?"

"I got stabbed and died," Jace said evenly. "Three times. Actually, I only died twice."

"How do you die twice?" Will asked skeptically.

"Clary brought me back," Jace said simply as she carved the rune carefully into his chest. Jace pulled his shirt back on. "What do we do now."

"Go throw sharp, heavy objects at each other as hard as you can," Clary instructed.

Both boys seemed pleased by that and walked over to a different part of the room. Clary sat, and Jem sank down beside her. He was feeling well that day, but didn't want to overt exert himself. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have them try to hurt each other?"

The red head shrugged. "I'm hoping it'll be kinda therapeutic. If they can try to kill each other when they can't actually be hurt, maybe they'll be able to be in the same room together without being a danger to themselves and others."

The first knife sailed from Jace's hand only to halt a few feet from Will and fall to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Jem asked in fascination. "When you said that rune was a new one you came up with you didn't just mean that you had never tried it before did you? You actually meant that you had made it up."

"It's a long, long story," Clary said with a sigh. "Jace and I," she halted. "We're kind of... different from other shadowhunters. Gifted you might say. I can sometimes create new runes, and Jace is well, Jace."

"What can he do?"

Clary smiled. "Just wait. Wait until he fights, then you'll see."

Unbeknownst to both of them, the moment where they would all have to fight, was coming sooner than anyone anticipated.

**A/N: What do you think? I've loved all of the reviews so far! I hope this lives up to your expectations. I know this isn't moving incredibly quickly, but I want to tell the story right. If you want to see it go a little quicker let me know, and I'll do my best to put in more per chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:I Really still don't own them. This would have been published in the book if I did, but I don't, do it's on the internet instead.**

By the end of the day, Jace had reached the level of boredom that Mayrese Lightwood had nicknamed "The Danger Zone." Lots of children had danger zones, the only difference with Jace's Danger Zones were that they more dangerous to other people then they actually were to him. When most teenagers entered a danger zone of boredom they experimented with hard drugs or alcohol. Jace went out and tried to kill large deamons with small, pointed objects. Since that wasn't an option, he was reduced to restlessly pacing around the Institute's hallways.

During his travels he almost ran headlong into Sophie, and would have knocked her over if his reflexes hadn't been good enough to catch her.

Sophie looked up at the one new occupant of the Institute that she had been trying to avoid at all costs. This golden boy reminded her far to much of Will for her to feel comfortable around him. The two boys shared the same annoyingly assured confidence, and pronounced good looks. Both character made far more irritating by being justified. "Forgive me Sir," she muttered. "It was my fault I'm sure."

"Don't take credit for things you are not responsible for," Jace admonished jokingly. "It's a very bad habit for people to have," then he stepped to the side to allow her to continue on her way.

His manner was much more pleasant than Sophie had expected. Will joked with her as well, but there was much more deliberate malice to his treatment. Jace's manner was different, and slightly off putting. Also, he had stepped out of the way for her. Masters rarely stepped away for their servants to pass them. Sophie narrowed her eyes at him as she passed in case he was planning some kind of a trick. Once she was a little way past, she increased her speed down the hallway.

"Hey, Sophie?" Jace called down the hall, struck by a sudden idea to pass a few hours until someone had established some sort of plan of action. He had been gathering all of the information that he could about the goings on at the London Institute, and was now fairly up to date on the Axel Mortmain and the situation with his clockwork army. He figured that something exciting was just _bound _to happen soon.

Sophie froze. Of course there was something else for him to say. "Yes Sir?"

Jace rolled his eyes. "First off, don't call me sir. It makes me feel like an old man. Second, why do you look like your preparing to be shot? Your body would be far too much bother for me to dispose of. And thirdly," he concluded. "Can you tell me how to get to the music room from here?"

Sophie felt a bit more on even ground than she had before now that a sarcastic comment had been worked into the proceedings by Jace. Although, the request he had made was unusual. Apart from Master Jem, she didn't know any other Shadowhunters who enjoyed playing instruments, let alone found the time for it. She nodded to Jace. "Of course Sir. Go down to the end of this hall. Go up the stairs, turn left down that hall, the music room is the third on the right."

Jace nodded and walked off, following Sophie's instructions. They turned out to be accurate, and Jace soon found himself sitting at the piano bench. The lid remained shut over the keys. Jace hadn't really touched a piano since he had found out that Valentine had raised him. It was because of Valentine that he had learned to play. He had always told Jace that all men should be able to play an instrument, just like all men should know how to sale. It was one of the few times that Valentine had said 'all men" instead of "all shadowhunters." It had been one of the few times where he had felt that there was more in the world then the manor and the hills surrounding it where he had grown up.

Playing the piano had used to remind him of being a child and feeling safe. When he had thought that Valentine was his father all t had made him think was that he should have _known. _Later, the instrument had merely made him wonder why he had ever thought that Valentine was his father at all when it was obvious all he had ever been was an experimental soldier. Jace had also questioned weather or not he even _liked _playing the piano, or was it just something he had learned for the same reason he had learned fighting, or Latin. Because Valentine had set the lessons, and he had never questioned them.

"Sophie said you'd be here," Clary said from the doorway, startling Jace out of his thoughts. She picked her way through the room and pulled out one of the comfortable armchairs that had been left in the room for people to sit and listen to music.

Jace took notice of the fact that Clary was wearing a Victorian style night gown that had obviously been borrowed from someone else. "How long have I been here?" he asked.

Clary shrugged. "About two hours. It's past eleven. I brought you some dinner," she held out a plate with a sandwich and a sliced apple on it.

Jace smiled gratefully and took the plate from her. The sight of the food was making him realize just how hungry he actually was, but he still didn't eat. "Do you remember the picnic I took you on for your sixteenth birthday?"

"Hmm.." she pretended to consider. "It rings a sort of bell. Didn't you show up outside my door in the middle of the night and start jabbering about your metaphysical purpose for being there, and told me you made a mean cheese sandwich?"

"I still do," Jace said with a grin.

"Yeah well," Clary said, leaning over and lifting the sandwich up to his face. "I make a mean PB&J so eat up."

Jace complied with the order and took a bight of the sandwich. "We talked about birthdays too," he remembered. "Did you really want to go around in the drier?"

Clary glared at him. "If you bring that up in front of anybody else I may have to kill you. Or do you want me to start telling people about you taking a bath in spaghetti?"

"Don't you dare," he said darkly, and then finished the her

"You showed me the flower that only grows at midnight," Clary said softly. "It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen."

"I was just watching you," Jace admitted. "I remember that your fingers kept twitching, like you couldn't wait to draw it. It was amazing to me, the way your face lit up. That's part of what was so amazing to me about you at first. The way everything was amazing and magical to you. Even if shadowhunters don't use magic."

"I remember when you told me exactly when you had fallen in love with me," Clary said. "You said it was after I slapped you because there had been ten percent you weren't sure about weather or not it would hurt me."

"I played piano then too," Jace murmured. "I needed to think about something else until you woke up. Even then I _needed _for you to wake up. When you slapped me is when I knew I had to kiss you before to long."

"Kiss me now," CLary breathed.

Jace was all too happy to comply. He tangled his fingers into the hair at the back of her shoulder blades, and Clary wrapped her arms around his neck. For Jace, Kissing Clary had been the thing that made him understand why kisses in movies were always filmed with the camera panning in circles. He always felt like he was spinning and drowning, and Clary was the only life raft.

Clary broke away when breathing became an evident problem. Unwilling to pull away completely, she rested her forhead against his. She waited for her breath to even out, taking note of the fact that Jace's breathing was just as rapid as hers was. She loosened her arms from around her neck and sat back farther in her arm chair. Then she curled up and took out the blanket she had brought with her and tucked it up around her. She found a comfortable position and let her eyes close.

A lock of her escaped from the messy bun she had put it in, and tickled her face. She reached up to brush the hair away, but gasses fingers got there first. Instead of winding it back into place he pulled her hair free from the bun and tugged his fingers through it until it all hung around her face.

"What are you doing?" Clary asked without bothering to open her eyes.

"I like it better that way," Jace argued.

"Fine," Clary said, and nestled farther into the chair. "Now play for me."

"'As you wish,'" Jace quoted before turning to the keyboard and lifting the lid, He stretched his finger and cracked his knuckles.

"I love you too," Clary murmured. "Although normally your quotations are on a slightly higher par then _The Princess Bride._"

Jace laughed a little. "I'll come up with something better later."

Then he began to play. The music started out low and dark before rising a few octaves to mix with a few higher notes, and bright spots. Then the music changed to a much sweater tone, with a few dark accents. Then all warmth fell away from the piece to deep, dark, depressing, notes. Then the music shifted to a register that was almost unbearably pure and sweet.

Jace finished the piece and turned to see Clary fast asleep in the chair. Her breath was blowing a few locks of hair away from her face every time she exhaled. He heard something at the door and looked up quickly.

Will was standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's you," he said off handedly. "I though maybe Jem was using some hitherto unknown talent. How long have you been playing the piano?"

"I was five years old when I was given my first lesson," Jace told him. He brought the black polished lid back over the ebony and ivory keys. Then he leaned over and lifted Clary up, blanket and all. Then he walked out the door. Will followed him.

"Jem is always saying I should learn how to play the piano," Will mused. "He says I have the right hands for it."

Jace rolled his eyes at no one in particular. Of course the hands would be a family trait. What else could they possibly be? "Yeah well," Jace said to cover up. "if you haven't learned by now you probably never will."

As they turned down another hallway Will asked. "What was that you were playing? I didn't recognize it."

Jace shrugged. "I made it up."

"How?"

"Clary asked me to play for her," Jace said. Like it was just that simple.

Will looked down at the small redhead in Jace's arms. "You'd do pretty much anything for that girl wouldn't you?"

Jace met his eyes full own. "There is no 'pretty much' about it. If Clary asks me for something I can give her I will do it. No matter the costs." With that. Jace went into Clary's room to put her to bed so she could sleep.

"Yes," Will muttered to the closed door. He saw Tessa'a face in his minds eye. "No matter the costs."

**A/N: How was it? Tell me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: My identity has not magically morphed into Cassandra Clare's in the last 24 hours. So no, I don't own these characters. I'm just... burrowing them for a while.**

"Aloysius Starkweatheris the most stubborn, hypocritical, obstinate, degenerate-" Charlotte fumed.

"Would you like a thesaurus?" Jace and Will offered simultaneously. Then they turned and glared at each other. Will was slightly more puzzled looking than Jace, but other than that their expressions were disturbingly similar to Tessa's eyes. The same furrows creased the skin along their noses, and they used the same narrowing of the eyes to convey suspicion and displeasure.

Jace took the opportunity to map out the features he shared. It was the closest thing he had ever really had to a photo of anyone in his family. He had been wondering why he looked the way he did. What features were from his mother's side and which came from his father? Jace had never thought that he would have the opportunity to find out from an almost original source, but now that it had been offered, who was Jace to say no?

Will was a bit more puzzled than anything. Someone he had never met before had thought in almost the exact same way he had, and used his precise manner of vocal inflection. Now it looked almost like Jace was... taking him apart, examining the pieces individually, cataloguing them, and handing him back the pieces.

Jessamine shuddered. "Whatever the two of you do in the near future, please make sure that _that _is never again one of them."

"Is he really a degenerate?" Jem asked equably from his armchair. "The old codger is almost 90. Surely he's past any real deviance."

"Age means nothing to sinners," Alec said grimly. It was something that Robert Lightwood had been fond of telling him when Alec had asked if he would be home for things like Christmas and birthdays. Needless to say, most events of that kind would be presided over by Hodge.

"Darling," Henry said with some concern as he walked to where Charlotte was sitting. "Are you quite alright? You look a bit, splotchy."

"I think it's charming," said Will. "I've heard polka dots are the last word in fashion this year."

"For the first and last time in history," Isabelle commented absently.

Henry patted Charlotte's shoulder. "Would you like a cool cloth? What can I do to help?"

"You could ride up to Yorkshire and chop the old goat's head off," Charlotte suggested with mutiny.

Clary sat forward a little. "I have a feeling that doing that might make things a bit awkward with the Clave," she said. "If their anything like the Clave over in America they're generally not that open minded about beheadings."

"More's the pity really," Jace muttered. There were quite a few members of the Clave he wished he could have beheaded. Aldertree and Malachi to name a few. It was lucky for them that they were both dead.

Charlotte was only growing more irritated. "He refuses to see me or Henry. He's a difficult man, and very committed to his version of the law. My father thought that they lived like savages up in the North, and he had no qualms about saying it. Aloysius is also still in fuss about not being invited to the last council meeting. As if I control that sort of thing!"

"Why wasn't he invited?" Isabelle asked.

"Simply put," Charlotte said. "He's too old to have a real voice in the council."

"Well, if he won't see you or Henry you can just send someone else," Jessamine said in a bored voice. "All of the Enclave are supposed to do what you say."

Charlotte opened her mouth to reply but Alec got there first. "From what I've heard, most of the Enclave is siding with Benedict Lightwood. Charlotte needs to send someone she can trust." Alec had not of course, heard this from anybody. He had always been interested in Lightwood family history, and had spent plenty of time looking through old family records. Among which where several diaries written by Benedict Lightwood.

"You can trust us," Will told Charlotte. "Send me and Jem."

"Dear God take me with you!" Jace begged. He was going out of his mind with the lack of real physical activity. Even though the Institute was huge, it had started to make him feel claustrophobic.

"What about me?" Said Jessamine indignantly.

"What about you?" Isabelle asked, as though the matter was slightly below her interest. "You don't really want to go do you?"

Jessamine lifted the cloth off of her eyes to glare at Isabelle. The other girl remained completely unaffected which placed her in the good books of everyone who knew Jessamine well. "On some smelly train all the way up to deadly dull Yorkshire? No, of course not. I just wanted Charlotte to say that she could trust me."

"I can trust you Jessie, but you're not well enough to go. Which is unfortunate since Aloysius always had a weakness for a pretty face."

"Case and point for why I should go," Jace pointed out with a crooked grin that would make the Cheshire Cat jealous.

"Will, Jem..." Charlotte bit her lower lip. "Are you sure? The council was hardly impressed by the independent actions you took in the matter of Mrs. Dark."

"I don't like being ignored," Jace commented without much inflection as he sat back a bit in his chair. "It doesn't agree with me as a condition of being."

He was seemingly ignored again, which didn't help his mood. "They ought to be happy! We killed a dangerous demon!" Will protested.

"And we saved Church," Added Jem.

Isabelle sat up straight. "This Church wouldn't happen to be a blue Persian cat with personality issues would it?"

"Yes he is," Will said bitterly. "That cat bit me three times the other night."

Jace slid from his chair down to kneel on the floor and drummed his fingers lightly on the ground. He made soft clucking noises with his tounge. "Church," he called. "Come here Church."

"That won't work for the devil cat," Jessamine said with out looking up.

Everyone was in a fair amount of agreement with her when the cat in question came slinking in through the door. He cast his big gray eyes around the room until he saw Jace sitting with a relaxed posture on the ground. He made his way over to Jace, taking his time to keep him from looking to over eager before he arrived to nuzzle at Jace's hand with his fuzzy blue head. Jace stroked over his head and down his back. Church let out a loud, contented purr, and climbed into Jace's lap before curling up to sleep.

Jace looked up at Jessamine and the others who were staring with wide-eyed amazement to see a normally temperamental animal so completely at ease with a veritable stranger. "You were saying?" he asked smugly.

"Moving away from the impending cat debacle," Tessa said to interrupt Will's witty reply. "Charlotte, there is a way we could _make _him tell us."

Charlotte looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Tessa, what do you-" she broke off then as what Tessa had meant dawned on her. "Oh, I see. That is brilliant Tessa."

"Oh what?" demanded Isabelle.

"If I had something of his, I could use it to change into him and perhaps gain access to his memories. I could see what he recollects about the Shades and Mortmain, if he recollects anything at all." Tessa explained.

"I have another alternative if all else fails," Clary put forward. Under everyone's gazes she proceeded to explain. "I've been looking at some persuasion and honest runes, and I've found a way to make one that would force someone to answer your questions truthfully. I took inspiration from the Mortal Sword, the only issue is that I would have to apply it directly to the person I want to question."

Will and Jem shared uncomfortable glances with each other. "Could you not simply show the rune to one of us so we could apply it to Starkweather?"

"Clary's runes don't work that way," Jace interjected. "They work for anyone to make, but they're almost ten times as powerful when she makes them."

Isabelle nodded. "It's true. Jace was imprisoned once in the Silent City. Clary put a typical opening rune on the bars of the cell and every single locking mechanism in the place came apart."

"Fine then," Charlotte said wearily. "Clary may go, and I suppose it's easiest to just give Jace the permission now."

"It really is," Alec agreed. "When he was eleven, my mom wouldn't let him train with me even though we were parabatai. He followed her around asking constantly for three days. I don't think he let either of them sleep the entire time."

Jem looked at Jace with raised eyebrows. "Really? Three days seems an awfully long time."

Jace shrugged. "I'm nothing if not persistent. Or actually," he said considering. "I suppose I would still be witty, sarcastic, intelligent, and unbelievably good looking. But being persistent is certainly an important attribute."

"Modesty is good," Jessamine commented grumpily.

Isabelle chuckled and held up her hand, making a fake phone with her fingers. "Hello pot, this is kettle. I just thought you should know that you're black."

The London Shadowhunters looked at her in confusion and Alec hid his head in his hand. Clary shot Isabelle a glance. She hadn't thought that Isabelle would have found time to watch _Friends. _Maybe spending all of that time with Simon was starting to have a more humanizing effect on her. Maybe she would be able to introduce _How I Met Your Mother _soon.

"Anyway," Tessa said, filing the expression away in her head to consider later. She was a great student of language, and the way Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Clary spoke were was unfamiliar to her. The expressions and inflections they used were different as well. "Did you say we were taking the train?" she asked Jem.

He nodded. The silver in his eyes sparkling like a new coin. "The Great Northern runs out of Kings Cross all day long," he said. "It's only a matter of hours."

"Then I'll come," said Tessa. "I've never been on a train before."

Will threw up his hands in exasperation. "That's it? You're coming just because you've never been on a train?"

"Yes," Tessa said with deliberate calm. Jace recognized the tone. It was the same sort of one that people used when they were trying not to give him the pleasure of knowing he had gotten under their skin. "I should like to ride in one very much," Tessa finished.

"Trains are great big smoky things," Will said. "You won't like it."

"I won't know if I like it until I've tried it," Tessa pointed out philosophically.

"I've never swum naked in the Thames and yet I feel quite sure that I wouldn't like it." Will argued back.

Jace flinched a bit. This conversation seemed quite a bit like the one he had engaged in when he had tried to prevent Clary from going to Idris with them. That particular argument had ended with him putting his hand through a stained glass picture window. He had wanted Clary to stay home because it was too painful for him to be around her when he couldn't actually be with her. He wondered why exactly Will was facing a similar situation. It wasn't like he was related to Tessa, and it didn't look like she was romantically with anyone else. Then he thought of the way Jem had lit up when Tessa talked to him. He supposed that could be it. Go only knew how awkward it had to be to be in love with the same girl as your best friend, but that didn't seem exactly right to him.

Clary tried to bite back a laugh. "But think about how entertaining it would be for the sightseers. You can't possibly pass that up. Jace could join you."

Jace shuddered. "No thanks. No matter how foul that river is, it still manages to attract ducks, and I refuse point blank to swim in a body of water that has been previously occupied by the bloodthirsty little Satan spawn."

Jem burst out laughing. In all his years of knowing Will, he had never met one single other person let alone another shadowhunter who shared his friend's peculiar phobia of water foul. "You and Will should form a support group," he said around his laughter. "I doubt wither of you can find anyone else in this lifetime who are as afraid of them as you are."

"I think considering this to be one lifetime might be cheating," Isabelle muttered, quietly enough that she thought no one could hear.

Of course, 'thought' is as ever, the operative term.

"When do we leave?" Jace asked. All business. "Alec and Isabelle will stay here and help to do whatever needs doing. Clary and I will need to pack."

Jem was still grinning. "Early tomorrow morning. That way we'll arrive well before dark." He had heard was Isabelle had said, and it bothered him slightly, but not enough to ruin his good mood. He had put the information away to consider later if he felt he needed to.

"I'll have to send Aloysius a message saying to expect you," Charlotte said, picking up her pen. She paused to look up at all of them. "Is this actually a dreadful idea? I feel unsure about the matter."

Tessa gave Charlotte a look filled with worry. She was normally so confident and trusting of her own instincts. It broked her heart a little to see her this off balance all due to Benedict Lightwood.

Henry stepped forward and placed one reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "The only alternative is to do nothing. And I have found that doing nothing hardly ever accomplishes anything. Besides, what could possibly go wrong."

Isabeele climbed to her feet and began to weave her way out of the room. She stopped next to Henry and patted him on the shoulder. "Never ever say that Henry. It's just good rule of thumb."

With that all of the younger generation began to leave as they did Bridget's voice came drifting towards them:

_"Oh, her father led her down the stair,_

_Her mother combed her yellow hair._

_Her sister Ann led her to the cross,_

_And her brother John set her on her horse._

_'Now you are high and I am low,_

_Give me a kiss before ye go.'_

_She leaned down to give him a kiss,_

_He gave her a deep wound and did not miss._

_And with a knife as sharp as a dart,_

_Her brother stabbed her to the heart"_

"Yeah, 'Cause that's not at all depressing is it?" Alec commented

Tessa went pale thinking about Nate. Her own brother having betrayed her. "That's all she sings about," she whispered. "Murder and betrayal. Blood and pain. It's horrid."

Clary was in much the same boat as Tessa. Her brother, even if she had never fully known him in the way that sisters are supposed to know their brothers, had betrayed her to. She felt a shudder run through her at the words.

_"Why does your sword so drip with blood,_

_Edward Edward?_

_Why does your sword so drip with blood?_

_And why so sad are ye?_

Sophie made a grim face. "That's all she sings about day and night. I have to share a room with _that._

"Okay," Jace decided out loud. "That's it." He turned and stalked back into the room where Charlotte and Henry were still sitting. "If one of you can't make that cook of yours quit driving everyone insane with her singing about bloody violent death including Sophie who has to share a room with it, I will end up killing her before our stay is out. I just thought that you should know so you can make some form of arrangement." With that he turned and walked back out of the room. "Okay," he said ignoring the shocked faces of everyone but Clary, Alec, and Isabelle. "Now let's go."

And go they did.

Tessa and Sophie to their lesson with Gabriel and Gideon where they saw quite an argument between the two brothers. Later Tessa found a copy of the book _Vathek_ on the floor outside her door with a note in poem from from Will that made her laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop the laughter. How id he always make her laugh? Will always made her laugh when no one else could.

You needed to know someone very well to make them laugh.

**A/N: So? What did you all think? I tried to make this chapter a little longer than some of the other ones as per some requests. I am sorry they aren't very long, but I'm working around school, gymnastics, and homework. The next chapter will have Clary, Jace, Will, Tessa, and Jem meeting Aloysius. I'll have it up tomorrow or the day after. Review for me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Just look at one of the ones on any of the other five chapters.**

It rained the next morning. That was not at all strange, if you only had a blind guess as to what the weather was in England at any given moment. The safe bet would be 'raining'.

However, Jace was refusing to allow the damp weather to effect his good temper. Almost as soon as they had gone through the Institute doorway, Clary had seen him visibly brighten. Just the prospect of something more active then they had been doing for the past few days seemed to make him practically glow. Jace flitted forward through Kings Cross and back to Clary, Will, Jem, and Tessa repeatedly, seeming to never get tired, even though he was carrying a fair amount of the group's luggage.

Clary was smiling too. It was good for her to see Jace that bright and happy. Besides, the hustle and bustle of the train station reminded her of New York. People hurried back and forth in the same organized chaos of modern subway stations. Newspaper boys called out headlines from the daily news, and children chased through the station while their mothers followed with harried expressions.

Jace vanished up ahead again and Will muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath before going after him.

"Gone of and left us have they?" said Tessa, struggling with her umbrella as it stubbornly refused to close.

"Jace'll be back," Clary said, as Jem reached for the umbrella in Tessa's hands and snapped it shut with one quick movement. "I think Will went to get him and the porter."

Just then, Will returned towing Jace along behind him. Jace in turn was towing an aggrieved looking porter. The porter relieved Cyril of the small amount of luggage Jace had actually left for him to carry, and then took the rest of it from Jace. He snapped at them that the train wouldn't wait forever.

Will glared and began to speak, but Jace stopped him with a quick look.

He flicked his eyes over to Jem's cane, and then fixed them on the porter. His eyes narrowed, and seemed to be turning darker and darker gold by the second until they were almost black. He gave a slow, deadly smile that put Tessa in mind of the ticking crocodile from _Alice in Wonderland. _Far too sinister, and showing far too many teeth to be friendly. "It _will _wait for _us_," he pronounced clearly.

The porter looked bewildered, and not a bit disturbed. "Sir," he said in a much more polite and friendly voice. Then he began to lead them towards the platform which was thronged with even more people.

It was all Tessa could do to hold on to Jem's hand with one of her's and keep a hold of her hat with the other. She looked back around and saw that Clary and Jace were weaving expertly through the throng of people. Clary was only having slight trouble due to the fact that she was a good bit smaller than nearly everyone else, but otherwise the two were managing the onslaught of people quite efficiently.

Jace leapt onto the train easily and reached out and pulled Clary in. Jem followed more sedately and helped Tessa step aboard. Will tipped the porter. With a great clanging and screeching the train left the station.

"Did you bring anything to read on the journey?" Will asked Tessa.

"No," Tessa said coolly, trying not to think to hard about the copy of _Vathek _with Will's poem in it. She had left it behind at the Institute to avoid giving him the satisfaction. "I haven't come across anything I particularly wanted to read lately."

Will's jaw set, but he remained silent.

Jace watched between the two of them carefully. Apparently all was not quite doves and rosses with his great, great, great, great, grandparents just yet. He made a mental note to look out for that in future. However crappy a large portion of his life had been, he did enjoy enough aspects of it to want to be alive.

"There's always something so exciting about the start of a new journey isn't there?" Tessa went on.

"No," Will said flatly.

"I prefer actually being where ever it is I wanted to get to," Jace commented. "Getting there is just more time for people to try and convince you that you're going were you're going for the wrong reasons and that you shouldn't be going there."

"Yet another point in the defense for traveling via Portal," Clary said, looking out the window. "Although you don't get the scenery when you travel that way."

"Because the century mix up and nearly drowning in a magical lake with hallucinogenic properties are just _so _much better then taking a plane or driving," Jace muttered, quietly enough that only Clary could hear it.

She smashed her elbow into his side. She winced, she thought she had probably done more damage to her own elbow than she had done to his side.

"Haven't you ever been in the country before?" Jem asked Tessa.

"I don't remember ever really leaving New York before," she admitted. "Except to go to Coney Island, and that isn't really countryside. I suppose I must have past it when I came from Southampton with the Dark Sisters, but it was dark and they kept the curtains closed besides." She took off her hat and wrung some water out of it with her hands. "But I feel as if I have seen it before in books. I keep imagining I'll see Thornfeild Hall rising up in the distance. Or Wuthering Heights perched on a stony crag-"

"Wuthering Heights is in Yorkshire," Jace corrected automatically from his seat. "We haven't even reached Grantham, and if what I've seen before is to be taken for actual evidence, there's nothing that special to see in Yorkshire."

Will nodded. "There isn't. There aren't even any proper mountains like we have in Wales. It's all just hills and dales."

"Do you miss Wales?" Clary asked bluntly. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of the Victorian way of speaking to people and asking questions.

Will shrugged lightly. "What's to miss? Sheep and singing," he said. "And that ridiculous language. _Fe hoffwin I fod mor feddw, fyddai ddim yn cofio fy enw." _

"What does that mean?"

"It means, 'I wish to get so drunk I no longer remember my own name,'" Jace translated.

Will looked at him. "You speak Welsh?"

Jace shrugged. "A little. Besides, I always thought that knowing how to say you want to get drunk was one of the more useful phrases in any language."

"I find myself inclined to agree with you on that," Will said. His tone suggested that he found the fact that he was actually agreeing with Jace to be quite surprising.

"You don't sound very patriotic," Tessa commented. "Weren't you just reminiscing about mountains?"

"Patriotic?" Will said smugly. "I'll tell you what's patriotic. In honor of my birthplace, I've the dragon of Wales tattooed on my-"

"You're in a charming temper aren't you William?" Interrupted Jem. Jace noticed that though his tone didn't vary, it was one of the few times he had ever used Will's full name. "Remember, Starkweather can't stand Charlotte, so if this is the mood you're in-"

Will rolled his eyes. "I promise to charm the dickens out of him," he said, sitting up a little straighter in his seat. "I shall charm him with such force that by the time I am done, he will be left lying limply on the ground trying to remember his own name."

"Isn't the man around 98?" Clary asked. "He might already have that problem."

"I suppose you're storing up all that charm now?" Tessa said. "Wouldn't want to waste any on us."

Will looked pleased. "That is exactly it. And it isn't Charlotte that Starkweather can't stand, it's her father."

"Sins of the father," said Jem. "They're not inclined to like any Fairchild or anyone associated with one. Charlotte wouldn't even let Henry come up-"

Jace's face darkened, and Clary stiffened. "Sins of the father should never be moved on to the children," she said stiffly. "After all, it's not as if we get to chose."

"What did your father do?" Tessa asked.

Jace looked at her. The warm light, like sunshine, that normally shone from his golden eyes had been replaced by something colder, and harsher. "You know, there was that thing we really meant to tell you and there was another thing that we really didn't. I'm pretty sure that the thing we wanted to tell you was 'buzz off.' The thing we didn't want to tell you was- oh wait, we still don't want you to know."

There was absolute silence for a moment. "Anyway," Will said after a minute. "The reason that Henry wasn't allowed to go is that when one let's Henry out of the house one risks an international incident. But to answer your unasked question Jem, I do understand the trust Charlotte has placed in us, and I do intend to behave myself. I don't want to see that squinty-eyed Benedict Lightwood and his hideous sons in charge of the Institute anymore than anyone else does."

"They aren't hideous," said Tessa.

Will blinked at her. "What?"

"Gabriel and Gideon," said Tessa. "They're really quite good looking. Not hideous at all."

"I spoke," said Will in sepulchral tones. "Of the pitch black inner depths of their souls."

Clary snorted. "And I suppose your soul is the precise color of fluffy white clouds?"

"No," Will answered. "More of a mauve actually."

"Perhaps we should discuss strategy?" Jem suggested, trying to break up the off topic conversation. "Starkweather hates Charlotte, but knows she sent us. So how to worm our way into his good graces?"

"Tessa and Clary could utilize their feminine wiles," Jace suggested in a slightly hopeful voice. "Charlotte said he enjoys a pretty face."

Clary put aside her past experience and jabbed her elbow back into Jace's rib cage. He made no reaction and Clary winced, rubbing at her elbow.

"How did Charlotte explain the presence of Jace, Clary, and I?" Tessa inquired, realizing that she should have asked a little bit sooner.

"She didn't really; she just gave our names. She was quite curt," said Will. "I think it falls to us to concoct a plausible story.

Clary sat forward. "We can't say that Tessa is a shadowhunter. He'll see right way that she doesn't have any marks. She has no warlock mark either."

"I suppose he'll think she's a mundane," Jem said thoughtfully. "She could change but, then, who in to?"

Will looked her over speculatively. He had the same sort of look as Jace. It was like an almost physical touch against skin. "Perhaps we could say she's a mad maid aunt who insists on chaperoning us everywhere."

"Who's aunt?" Jace asked. "She really doesn't look anything like any of us."

Will shrugged. "Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with my and persists in following me wherever I go."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "My talent is shape shifting Will, not acting."

"Ouch," Clary commented.

Jem and Jace laughed out load and Will glared at them both simultaneously. The feet was a bit impressive actually.

"She got the better of you there Will," Jem said. "I suppose it does happen occasionally, doesn't it? Perhaps I should introduce Tessa as my fiancée. We can tell mad old Aloysius that her ascension is underway."

"Ascension?" Tessa asked in confusion. She couldn't remember the term from the _Codex._

"When a Shadowhunter wishes to merry a mundane, the Mortal Cup has to be used to turn the mundane into a shadowhunter. It's not common. But if a Shadowhunter applies for ascension for their chosen partner the Clave is required to consider it for 3 months. Meanwhile the mundane studies a course about Shadowhunter culture." He was cut off by a loud train whistle.

"It's not a bad idea I suppose," Tessa said, considering. "I've finished nearly all the _Codex._"

Will shrugged. "It seems as fine an idea as any," he said. "What about Jace and Clary?"

"I could pretend to be your cousin," Jace suggested. "What does your father look like?"

Will thought it over for a moment. "He is blonde, and you're close to my height, besides you speak Welsh, so that is possible I suppose. What about Clary?"

Jace shrugged. "I rather like Jem's fiancée idea. What do you think Clary?"

"That works for me," Clary agreed.

A thought struck Tessa. "Where is the New York Institute?"

"A run down cathedral on the corner of 7th avenue," Jace answered automatically.

Will looked cold. There was an almost dangerous look on his face.

"Is everything all right?" Clary asked. The look was almost the same one Jace had when people called him Jonathan, or made a comment about Valentine.

Will looked completely gray and cold. He looked almost faded, like a bright fabric that had been washed one too many times. "Too much to drink last night," he muttered finally.

_Oh why do you bother Will? _Tessa wondered. _Don't you realize that Jem and I both know you're lying? _It looked as though Jace knew it too. Which he did know. He had seen enough people hung over, and experienced it himself enough time to know what it looked like when people had hit the happy juice one too many times.

"Well," Jem said lightly. "If only there was a Rune of Sobriety."

"I could work on one if you want," Clary offered. "Or at least I could try. It might be helpful for the next time we have to deal with Magnus after one of his parties."

"Yes well," Will said. "Can we come back to discussing the plan. It's a good plan save one thing," he leaned forward. "If Tessa and Clary are meant to be affianced to you and Jace, they will both need rings."

"I had thought of that," Jem said, digging into his pocket. It startled Tessa a little, and Clary raised her eyebrows. They had both thought Jem had come up with the plan on the train. Jace didn't bat an eyelash. Jem passed Tessa a silver family ring with tower etchings. "The Carstairs family ring," he said. "If you would."

Tessa slipped it on and it seemed to conform to her finger.

"What about Clary?" Will asked.

Jace smiled complacently. "Got it covered. He pulled a ring from his pocket and slid it over Clary's finger. he was very careful to cover the symbol on it with his hand, and then turned the ring around Clary's finger so the design was hidden. He thought that Will seeing a ring with his own family symbol on it being given to someone by a boy he had barely met, who, on top of everything, was his own age.

Clary smiled. "You just happened to carry that around?"

"Always be prepared," Jace quoted in a sing song voice. "Now let's get through this trip."

**A/N: What did you think? I love the reviews from everyone! Keep them coming please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Yet again, no. Can someone tell me if I actually have to post one of these with every single chapter? It's kind of a pain.**

"Are all the Institutes disguised as churches and cathedrals," Clary asked. "I never thought to ask before." The group was looking at the church where the York Institute was housed.

Will looked at her with a bit of surprise. He had noticed that Clary had fewer scars and marks then Alec, Isabelle, or Jace, but he had assumed it was simply because she didn't care much for fighting. Will had thought that Clary probably acted the way that Charlotte did. Making sure that the others didn't get themselves killed, keeping peace with other people, and applying _iratzes. _"Just how long have you been a Shadowhunter?"

Clary shrugged. "My mother was tired of the scars and death so she left Idris and went to New York. She had my sight blocked by a warlock so I wouldn't see Shadowhunters and Downworlders."

"What about your father?" Will asked, digging into any chance to find out more about the origins of Clary, Jace, and Alec.

Clary winced visibly. "Let's not talk about that. Besides, he's dead so it really doesn't matter what he thinks."

Will was unrelenting. "Did I hit a sore spot?" he asked in a tone of fake concern.

Clary glared up at him, but kept mostly calm. Knowing Jace and Simon made a person considerably better at dealing with people with sarcastic temperaments. "What can I say?" she said levelly. "I have Daddy issues."

"A seemingly common problem with Shadowhunters," Jace commented. "We should take a poll. Hands up if you've actually seen your biological parents without wanting to kill them within the last year." No one raised their hands. Jem's and Tessa's parents had been dead for several years, and Will couldn't see his family due to having left them to train as a Shadowhunter and live at the Institute over seven years ago.

Jem decided that it was probably a good time to shift everyone back to focus. He held out his arm to Tessa. "Shall we go in now my betrothed."

Tessa gave a small smile and looped her arm through his. "Let us beard the lion in his den together."

The two walked up the steps. Will spared a moment looking at them before following after. Jace and Clary brought up the end of the procession together.

"I know that look," Jace murmured to Clary. "What are you thinking?"

"I was wondering how badly it might screw things up if we played matchmaker on your great, great, great, great, grandparents," she whispered back.

Jace thought it over as quickly as he could. "Well if you follow the theory about time paradoxes then anything we do in the past already caused what happened in our futures. But there's also that whole theory of anything you change screws up the future more than we could ever manage to screw it up by ourselves."

"So really we have no clue?" Clary surmised.

"It's not like there's a book on this Clary," Jace muttered.

"There's the movie back to the future and a sizeable chunk of the third Harry Potter that we could use as reference points," Clary pointed out with the same vocal volume that Jace was using.

Jace rolled his eyes. "You realize that I don't understand when you talk about that kind of thing anymore than you understand me when I go around muttering in Russian right?"

"How often do you just go around muttering in Russian?" Clary asked with a bit of worry in her voice as the two entered the Institute and let the doors swing shut behind them.

"That is an exceptionally large portion of the point I was trying to make," Jace replied.

Clary didn't get enough time to answer because they had reached the others and were currently standing in front of Aloysius Starkweather. Aloysious was an old man with thick hair and a beard that were matching silver in color. His pinched features reminded Jace almost painfully of Hodge. He had the same dark eyes and crinkled face. He kept his back straight and had a glare that could have frightened a small rhinoceros.

"Young Herondale are you?" he barked out as Will moved forward to introduce himself. "Half-mundane, half-welsh and the worst of both traits I've heard."

Will smiled pleasantly "_Diolch._"

Aloysius bristled. "Mongrel tongue," he turned his eyes on Jem. "James Carstairs. Another Institute brat," then he caught sight of Jace and Clary. "Who are you may I ask?"

Jace stepped forward and calmly shoved Will sideways so he could introduce himself and Clary. "A pleasure to meet you I'm sure," he said. He was speaking in the same voice Clary recognized as the one he had used on the Seelie Queen. "I'm Jonathan Herondale. This is my fiancée Clarissa Fray."

Starkweather looked something that was a close approximation of horrified. "Dear god the Herondale's are spreading. If the likes of you lot have already gotten to America then the race of Shadowhunter is in for trouble indeed. How are you related to the despicable Welshman there?"

"We're cousins actually," Jace said pleasantly. "Hard to believe I know. Especially since I'm so clearly better looking than he is, but I assure you it's true. My father is his uncle."

"No matter," Starkweather said dismissively. "I've half a mind to tell the lot of you to go to blazes. That upstart bit of a girl Charlotte Fairchild foisting you on me with nary a by your leave. None of that family ever had a bit o' manners, and I doubt they ever will." Clary had to bight down hard on her own tongue to prevent herself from arguing with him. "I could do without her father and I can do without-" he cut off, looking at Tessa.

His mouth dropped open in shock. He looked almost like he had been slapped in the face. Tessa glanced at Jem, but he looked just as surprised as she felt. She couldn't catch Jace or Clary's eyes because Jace was studying Starkweather intently and Clary was watching him carefully. There was a momentary silence, which should almost be regarded as a miracle given that both Jace and Will were currently in the room.

As you might imagine, the filler of the breach came from Will. "This is Tessa Gray sir," he introduced. "She's a mundane girl, but she's betrothed to Carstairs here."

"A _mundane _you say?" demanded Starkweather.

"An Ascendant," Jace assured him in the soothing sort of voice he had used to use on Max when the little boy hadn't been able to fall asleep. Max had used to get nightmares, and he had always gone to Jace for reassurance because he had been certain that Jace would never tell his older siblings or parents. The Lightwoods had been much easier about the treatment of fear than Valentine ever had, but that didn't mean that Alec and Isabelle were particularly good at dealing with nightmares. "I've been told by Will and Jem that she's been a good friend to the Institute in London and will be welcomed there as a Shadowhunter soon enough."

"A mundane," the old man repeated. "Well times have- Yes I suppose then-" He looked back over at Tessa again and then turned to Gottshall the servant who was half buried in the luggage. "Get Cedric and Andrew to help you bring our guests' belongings up to their rooms. "And do tell Ellen to instruct Cook to set five more places at dinner. I may have forgotten to remind her that we would have guests."

The servant opened and closed his mouth like a fish who had been pulled abruptly out of water. No one of the group could really blame him. It was obvious that Aloysius had been fully prepared to kick them out the door and had changed his mind at the last second. Tessa looked at the others. Clary looked about as confused as Tessa was feeling, as was Jem. Will and Jace were both wearing almost identical expressions of wide eyed innocence, as though neither one had expected anything less.

* * *

"By the Angel," Will said with disgust. "What _is _this stuff?" It was a perfectly reasonable question. The contents of his plate resembled so much brown mush. Will had been the only one to try to eat it, and it looked like he was regretting it.

Jace examined the plate. "Toxic waste doesn't seem that far out of the question," he said. "Though It might also just be mud from one of the ditches in the side of the road. What do you think Clary?"

The red head wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to put my face close enough to that to tell."

The four of them were sitting at one end of a large dining room that was drab at best, and depressing at worst. The wall paper was dark brown, as was the wooden furniture. The lamps were scarce, and only cast small pools of light. It was very difficult to make out much of anything, which Clary could understand perfectly. Who would want to be able to see their food if it all looked like this stuff did.

"Come on," Jace wheedled. He stabbed a lumpy object with his fork and held it out towards her. "For science?"

She gave him an artificially sweet smile. "How's this for science? You eat it, and then if you haven't keeled over dead in twenty minutes we'll know it isn't toxic."

Jace dropped the object back onto his plate.

Will reached across him and grabbed the fork to examine the lumpy thing. "What is this?"

Jem looked at it. "A parsnip?" he suggested.

"A parsnip planted in Satan's own garden no doubt," Will said with conviction. He looked around. "I don't suppose that there's a dog about that I could feed it to?"

"There don't seem to be any pets about," Jem observed. He loved all animals. Even the incredibly bad tempered Church, and he had looked around the place for any evidence of any sort of pet shortly after their arrival.

"They've probably all been poisoned by the parsnips," Jace said casually.

"Oh dear," Tessa said, laying her fork back down on the table. "And I was so hungry too."

"Well there are always the dinner rolls," Clary offered. "Although, they're so hard I think they might be more like rocks then bread."

"You could use them to kill black beetles should any bother you in the middle the night," Will said cheerfully. he put his own fork down and began in the way of Edward Leer's Book of Nonsense:

_"There once was a lass from New York,_

_Who found herself hungry in York._

_But the bread was hard as rocks,_

_The parsnips shaped like-"_

"You can't rhyme 'York' with 'York,'" Tessa interrupted. "It's cheating."

"She's right you know," Jem said, playing with the stem of his wine glass. "Especially with 'fork' being the so obviously the correct choice."

Suddenly Jace straightened up and fastened his eyes on the door. "Good evening Mr. Starweather," he said politely. He had heard the sound of the man's foot falls in the corridor outside in the corridor.

"Good evening," Starkweather replied coolly. "Mr. Herondale's, Mr. Carstairs, Miss Fray, Miss ah-"

"Gray," Tessa filled in. "Theresa Gray."

"Indeed," he made no apologies for being late to the meal. He just settled himself at the table. He was carrying a large flat box filled with papers. Tessa saw the year 1825 was marked on it along with three sets of initials. JTS, AES, and AHM.

"No doubt your young miss will be pleased to know I've buckled to her demands and searched the archives all day and half last night besides," Tessa realized that 'young miss' was in reference to Charlotte. "it's lucky she is, that my father never threw anything out. And I saw the papers, I remembered. 89 years old and I never forget a thing. You tell old Wayland that when he talks about replacing me."

"We surely will sir," Jem said, his eyes dancing.

Aloysius took a gulp of wine and winced. "That stuff is disgusting," he commented. He lowered his glass. "What we have here is an application for Reparations on behalf of two warlocks. A married couple by the names of John and Anne Shade. Now here's the odd bit," he went on. "The filling was done by their son Axel Mortmain, 22 years old. Now of course warlocks are barren-"

Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and his eyes slanted awkwardly towards Tessa. Will caught the glance and filed it away to think it over later.

"This son was adopted," Clary said.

"Shouldn't be allowed that," Starkweather said. "Like giving a human child to wolves to raise. Before the Accords-"

"Parents don't have to be warlocks to terrify and abuse their children," Jace said in an emotionless voice. "All parents can do that quite easily. Mundanes and Shadowhunters included."

"If their are any clues to his whereabouts," Jem said gently, trying to redirect the conversation after sparing a look at Jace. "We have very little time-"

"Very well, very well," snapped Starkweather. "There's very little information about your precious Mortmain is here. More about the parents. It seems suspicion fell on them when it was discovered that the male warlock was in possession of the Book of White. Quite a powerful spell book, you understand. It disappears from the London Institute's library in 1752. The book specializes in binding and unbinding spells-tying or untying the soul from the body. Turned out the warlock was trying to animate things. He was digging up corpses and replacing the more damaged bit with mechanisms and trying to bring them to life. An Enclave group swept in and slaughtered both warlocks."

"And the child?" asked Will. "Mortmain?"

"No hide nor hair of him," said Starkweather. "We searched but nothing. Assumed he was dead until this turned up, cheeky as you please, demanding reparations. Even his address-"

"His _adress_?" Jace said sharply. That information hadn't been included in the scroll they had seen at the Insitute. "In London?"

"Nay, right here in Yorkshire." Starkweather tapped the wrinkled page with a large, wrinkly finger. "Ravenscar Manor. A massive old pile up north from here. Been abandoned now, I think, for decades. Now that I think about it, can't figure out how he could've afforded it in the first place. it's not where the Shades lived."

"Still," said Clary. "It's a good place for us to start looking. If it's been abandoned for a long time, there's got to be things he's left behind. In fact he might still be using the place."

"I suppose," Starkweather sounded unenthusiastic about it. "Most of the Shades belongings were taken for spoils."

"Spoils," Tessa echoed. She remembered that the term meant a belonging taken from a dead Downworlder.

"Spoils," Starkweather grumbled. "Do those interest you girl? We've quite a collection here. Come along. I'll show it to you and tell you the rest of the story, though there's not much more to it."

Will, and Jem rose automatically. Jace exchanged a look with Clary and rose slowly to go after them, taking Clary's hand in his as they walked.

"Never thought much of this Reparations business myself," Starkweather said as they walked through another dimly lit corridor. "Makes Downworlders uppity thinking they have a right to get something out of us. All the work they do and no thanks, just hands held out for more, more, more. Don't you think so gentlemen?"

"Bastards all of them," Jace said emotionlessly.

"Absolutely!" the old man barked, clearly pleased. "Not that anyone should use such language in front of ladies of course. As I was saying, this Mortmain was protesting the death of Anne shade, the male warlock's wife-said she'd have nothing to do with her husbands projects, hadn't known about them he claimed. Her death was undeserved. Wanted a trial of those guilty of what he called murder and his parents belongings back."

"Was the book of white among what he asked for?" Jem asked. "I know it's a crime for a warlock to own such a volume..."

"Oops," Clary muttered, remembering how she had given Magnus that very same spell book.

"It was retrieved and placed in the London Institute library, where no doubt it still remains. Certainly no one was going to give it to him."

Tessa did a very quick mental calculation. If he was 89 now then Starkweather would have been 26 at the time. "Were you there?"

"Was I where?" Starkweather asked.

"You said an Enclave group was sent to deal with the Shades. Were you among them?"

He hesitated and then shrugged. "Aye," his accent came through strongly. "Dinna take long to get the both of them. They weren't prepared. Not a bit. I remember them lying in their blood. The first time I saw a dead warlock. I was surprised they bled red. I could have sworn it'd be another color. Blue or green maybe." He shrugged. "We took their cloaks. My father was given the keeping of them." He opened a thick door and stepped inside. "Ever been o the crystal palace? Well this is even better."

Will stiffened, and stretched out his arm to stop Tessa from moving through. "Don't-" he began, but Tessa pushed past anyway.

Jace took the more direct route and wrapped his arm around Clary's waist to prevent her from entering. He thought that Clary didn't need to see the preserved and severed remains of Downworlders directly before bed time. "Actually," he said. "Clary and I would both prefer to turn in now if you don't mind." He didn't phrase it as a question, and didn't wait for an answer. Instead he simply turned and pulled Clary down the hall.

"What was that about?" Clary hissed at him as they walked at a frantic pace down the hallways.

"Spoils aren't pleasant things to see Clary," he replied. "I saw them once when I was young and it still gives me nightmares. You have enough bad experiences to keep you up at night and I will be damned clary if I let some old bastard add to that list."

"So that was another one of your misguided attempts to protect me?" Clary asked shrewdly, looking up at him.

Jace stopped outside of her door and looked down at her before nodding. "When you put it that way it sounds a lot worse," he complained, leaning against the wall.

"You know I hate it when you do that," Clary told him.

"I know," Jace said quietly. "But I'm going to be doing that for the rest of the conceivable future so I hope you can get over that."

"I'm going to stick with saying, 'aw, that was kind of sweet of you,' instead of ranting at you about being an over protective moron."

"Thank you," Jace said. "I try," he leaned down and kissed her lightly. "Now go to sleep Clary."

She leaned up on her toes and kissed him more fully. Jace wrapped his hands around her hips to take some of the weight off of her toes. When Clary needed to breathe she pulled away and smiled up at him. "Sweet dreams Jace," she said softly before walking into her room and shutting the door behind her.

Jace looked after her for a moment. "Sweet dreams Clary," he echoed before turning away down the hall out towards the front doors.

**A/N: So? How was it? I tried to make this one longer, to cover more of the book. Just so you know, this takes place between CoLS and CoHF for the Mortal Instruments. Review for me!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I can't help but feel that this is getting kind of redundant. I don't own these characters. I'm just burrowing them to go and play for a while.**

Jace had not been the only one to think that some fresh air might be beneficial. The front of the Institute was spotted with random tombstones. It looked as though someone had started a graveyard and given up halfway through. Jace's keen eyes detected Will's dark hair and tall form standing up ahead of him. He wondered idly if his eyesight would have been that good naturally or if it was another result of Ithuriel's blood in his veins. He had always been able to see across great distances in almost perfect darkness, but he had never though anything of it until after he had found out about Valentine's experiments.

Jace approached Will almost silently and stopped to lean against a moss covered grave a few feet away. "Nice place this, isn't it?" he commented.

Will jerked back from whatever alternate universe he had been in. He looked over to see Jace propped comfortably against one of the graves he had read earlier. That's what he had been doing for the past twenty minutes, having not wanted to stay inside the Institute with the dim lighting and Starkweather's imposing presence. "I've seen better kept memorial grounds," Will answered.

"It is a little on the over grown side," Jace observed. "Starkweather might want to try hiring someone from this half of the century to take care of the landscaping." he unhitched himself from the grave and walked over to stand near Will. "Do you often make a habit of wandering through cemeteries at night?"

Will shrugged. "If you can direct me to a good pub anywhere in the vicinity I will gladly direct myself there. I don't make a habit of sleeping through the night."

"'O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness?'" Jace quoted.

"Shakespeare," Will acknowledged. "_King Henry. _I don't suppose that there would be much of a vender of alcoholic beverages in Yorkshire anyway," he sighed. "Well I know why I'm still awake, what force has kept you from sleeping peacefully?"

Jace shrugged non-committedly. "A variety of things. Nightmares and restlessness being among them, but primarily it's just not in my nature."

Will looked at him critically. "You say things in that manner quite often. Giving answers that answer nothing."

"A crime you seem equally as guilty of," Jace commented. "The long and short of the situation is that I have never been able to sleep easily no matter the situation. It makes Clary worry but I can't will myself to sleep no matter how much it might help me in the morning. For me, the only good way to a whole night of sleep is runes, medicines, or fighting until I am at the point of black out exhaustion. Occasionally alcohol becomes involved as well, though not so much lately."

"Speaking of Clary," Will said. "It seems you had the right idea to leave when you did. Tessa didn't take the sight very well. One day I fear that her curiosity may land her in a situation that will be quite impossible to escape from."

"I've found that people can find themselves in inescapable situations weather they are curious or not, though it never does seem to fail to get Clary into trouble," Jace reflected.

There was silence for a moment before Will asked, "Why did you tell Starkweather that your name was Jonathan earlier today? You seemed too sure of it for it to have been a random choice."

Jace shifted so that he was sitting on top of a large family tomb. "It's a common enough Shadowhunter name," he said evenly, remembering the words Mayrese had used when she reflected on not being suspicious of him being Valentine's son when she had learned his name. "I thought that it was unlikely to cause suspicion. Besides," he added. "It's as close to being my name as any other one is."

Will's brow furrowed. "So Jace is not the name your parents gave you?"

"It's from my initials, J.C." he explained reluctantly. "It stands for Jonathan Christopher." He laughed bitterly. "It's ironic because I didn't even get to find out that I even had a middle name until I was eight years old. My fa-" he cut off and began again. "The man who raised me," he said instead. "Only ever called me Jonathan, I found the middle name in a book one day. Even more ironic when you consider that the book actually had nothing to do with me. When I told my middle name to Alec and Isabelle's mother she decided she would call me Jace. When I wondered what my name should actually be Clary decided that if I had only really considered Jace as my name, then that's what it would stay. I have no clue what my name might have been."

Will was beyond surprised, but was hiding it well. That had been the largest amount of personal information he had gotten about Jace or anyone else since this whole situation had started. He also took note of the fact that Jace was careful to never say 'my father' it was always 'the man who raised me.' There was also never a 'my mother' just Alec and Isabelle's. It was rather interesting.

Jace looked up at the sky. The moon and stars were more visible than he was used to. In New York light pollution blocked out most of the sky. he supposed that there was very little to worry about in terms of light pollution in a century where electric lighting had only been invented for three quarters of a century. He looked back at Will. "Where does your late night habit come from?"

"I find that it maintains an image that is helpful for fending off people who are otherwise likely to ask for favors," Will replied.

Jace tilted his head sideways, considering. "I can see the merits to that plan. Who would ever ask someone to do something out of the goodness of their heart when they don't believe your heart even exists for any capacity besides pumping black sludge through their veins? It's a solid strategy."

"Thank you," Will said dryly. "I pride myself on my strategic expertise."

Jace nodded. "You know that they don't buy it right?" he said, gesturing back towards the Insitute. Tessa, Jem, they don't care how you act. They're still going to be just stubborn enough to believe in what's good in you when you can't," he stood up and made as if to leave. He was about ten feet away when he called back. "I speak from experience!"

* * *

The next morning Jace arrived at breakfast to find Jem and Will already there. Will was making what looked like rude pictures with toast bits, and Jem was sifting half-heartedly through a bowl of oatmeal as if he was searching for something that would prove that the gluey mess was actually something edible. Clary was sketching intently with a gray led pencil, her elbow barely avoiding the jam jar.

He steppe behind her chair and peered at the sketch pad. It was split into two sections with a border isolated along the bottom with other little sections divided inside of it. His own face occupied one half of the page, while Will's was taking shape on the other. In the little sections on the bottom there were smaller versions of individual facial features. Jace guessed that they were comparisons between his features and Will's.

He leaned down so that his mouth was near her ear. "Trying to find the missing link?" he whispered.

Clary jumped, and looked up at him. She smiled, "I'm just trying to connect some of the dots," she whispered back. "I have one of Isabelle and Sophia too."

Jace slid into the seat next to her just as Tessa came in.

"What is that supposed to be?" Jem asked of Will's toast pictograph. "It looks almost like a-" he broke off when he saw Tessa, and grinned. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied as she slid into the seat across from Will. Jace saw that she glanced at him quickly before returning her attention to a nowhere point somewhere above her plate.

Jem was looking at her with a concerned expression. "Tessa are you alright? After last night-" he broke off just as Jace's head shot up at the sound of Starkweathers heavy, uneven foot steps sounded at the doorway. "Good morning Mr. Starkweather," Jem said, jostling Will's plate so that the toast bits slid across the plate and out of the rather rude formation they had formed previously.

Starkweather looked them all over with a baleful expression. "The carriage is waiting for you in the courtyard," he said in his usual clipped manner. "you'd better cut a stick if you want to be back before dinnertime. I'll be needing the carriage this evening. I've told Gottshall to drop you straight at the station on your return. I trust you have everything you need?"

"Yes sir," Jem said in the voice all young people used to appease adults. "You've been very gracious."

"And the food was simply superb," Jace said cheerily. "Give my compliments to the chef."

Starkweather looked at him with suspicion, but apparently he decided that he was either honest, or not worth arguing with. He swept his eyes over Tessa's face one more time before turning and stalking form the room in a swirl of black.

"Eat quickly Tessa," Will advised. "You as well Clary. Before he changes his mind about the carriage."

Clary looked a little surprised. "Did I not eat?"

Jace chuckled and grabbed an apple before peeling it, and cutting it into quarters for clary to eat.

Tessa just shook her head, looking the same way that Jace recognized from when Alec got seasick. "I'm not hungry," she said.

"At least have tea," Will said, pouring it for her, and adding milk and sugar. Tessa looked a little unsure about Will's actions, but drank the tea. From what Jace had seen, Will didn't go out of his way to make a king gesture very often.

As soon as everyone had eaten something they all got up and retrieved there bags. Tessa and Clary were able to find their traveling cloaks, and hats and gloves were located. Soon everyone was outside, blinking in the pale Yorkshire sunshine. The carriage was waiting for them outside, painted with the four C's that symbolized the Clave. The old coachmen with the long pipe and gray beard who had driven hem there on the way over.

"Bloody hell, it's the Ancient Mariner again," Will muttered. He seemed more entertained by the whole situation than anything else. He hoped into the carriage and helped Tessa up after him. Jace lighted gently in the doorway and pulled Clary up and in. Jem came after and shut the door behind him. The carriage began to roll away, jerking along country roads that wound through green hills and trees. Jace put his face close to the window, trying to soak in the green of everything. It was one of the things that he had missed most about Idris after he had moved to New York. In the city, unless you went to Central Park, things were fairly monochromatic.

Eventually the carriage came to a shuddering stop a good distance away from a large manner house with high stone chimneys.

"But we're not there yet," said Tessa puzzled. "If that's Ravenscar Manor-"

"We can't just roll right up to the front door; be sensible Tess," Will said, hopping out of the carriage. He helped Tessa down and her boots splattered in the mud. Jace hoped down afterwards and simply reached up and lifted Clary up and out of the carriage before setting her gently on a relatively dry patch of ground. jem dropped lightly beside them.

"We need to get a look at the place. Use Henry's device to register demonic presence. We may be walking into something," Will said.

"Does anything of his work without exploding?" Clary asked.

Jace smiled at her and silently held up his own, more modern Sensor. Clary's mouth dropped open. Apparently something of Henry's made it through successfully to the modern world.

Tessa, who had been looking around at the trees, shuddered.

Jem caught it. "City Lass."

Tessa laughed. "I was thinking how strange it would be to grow up in a place like this, so far from other people."

"Where I grew up was not so different from this," Will said. From the expressions on the others faces, Jace guessed that it was unexpected. "It's not so lonely as you might think. In the country you can be assured people visit one another a great deal. They have a greater distance o traverse than they might, and once they arrive they make a lengthy stay. After all, why make the trip just to stay a night or two? we'd often have house guests that would remain for weeks."

"I share Tessa's view," Jem said. "I have never lived in anything but a city. I don't know how I could sleep at night, not knowing I was surrounded by a thousand other sleeping, dreaming, souls."

"And filth everywhere with everyone breathing down one another's necks," Will countered. "When I first arrived in London, I so quickly tired of being surrounded by so many people that it was only with great difficulty that I refrained from seizing the next unfortunate who crossed my path and committing violent acts upon their person."

"You are aware," Jace said evenly. "That weather a women is a Mundane or not, they still know how to nail you where it would really, really, hurt."

"That's true," Clary affirmed.

"Some might say you still retain the problem of trying to commit violent acts on random people," Tessa quipped at Will.

Will let out a short laugh as they approached the mansion. It was a grand looking place. A large drive circled in front of the doors, which were set in gray stone walls. No weeds or other signs of disrepair were evident. There wasn't even any glass missing from the windows.

"Someone is living here," Clary said immediately. The group began moving down the hill. The grass was longer, coming almost up to Jace's waist, which meant that Clary had to almost tread on tip toe to really be able to keep the grass away from her nose.

Jem frowned. "Maybe if-" He broke off as the sound of rattling wheels became audible for a moment.

Jace frowned. He was fairly sure that it wasn't the same carriage that Gottchall had driven them there in. It sounded heavier, like it had a more sturdy mechanism. He saw a moment later that he was quite right. The coach rolling towards the manner was a more sturdy looking couch, and it lacked the C emblem on the side. Jace sank down immediately into the grass, and Jem, Will, Tessa, and Clary dropped down with him, though for Clary, she may as well have remained standing.

The coach rolled to a stop, and the driver leapt down to open the door. A young girl stepped out. Jace squinted, taking advantage of his remarkably good eyesight, which he really felt the need to do, because to his eyes it looked like Isabelle had just stepped out of a carriage.

Will made a thick, strangled, gasp. "Cecily." He strangled out. Will staggered to his feet, his face was the color of fireplace ash. 'Cecily he said again." His voice held wonderment and horror in equal measure.

"Who on earth is Cecily?" Clary asked.

Tessa scrambled up to stand next to Will, but Jem was already there. Jace rose more slowly, having found no particular reason to panic just yet. However, he thought that that conclusion would likely need to be re-evaluated in Will continued to mutter 'Cecily' under his breath at odd intervals.

"Will you must speak to us," Jem was saying. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Will dragged in a strangled breath. "Cecily."

"Yes, you've said that already," said Tessa. Jace saw her stop and deliberately soften her voice. He supposed it was the right thing to do when your friend was mentally handicapped.

It didn't seem to matter though. Will didn't seem to have heard her. "My sister," he said numbly. "She was- Christ she was nine years old when I left."

"Your sister," Jem repeated.

_Great, great, great, great, grand auntie Lightwood._ Jace marked mentally.

Clary examined the grassy carnage with some distaste. "That can not have been eco-friendly."

Jace winced a little. Environmental concerns were not at the fore front of the minds of most Victorians. Thankfully no one seemed to notice. Jem was too busy trying to stop Will while Tessa looked after them both in concern.

Will tried to pull his arm away from Jem's grasp. "If Cecily's there. Then the rest of them-my family- they must be there as well."

Tessa hurried to catch up to them and Clary followed equally as fast. Jace sighed and proceeded after her. if his ancestor was anything like he was, then he knew exactly where this was heading.

"But it doesn't make any sense that your family would be here Will. This was Mortmain's house. Starkweather said so. It was in the papers."

"I know that!" Will half shouted.

"Your sister could be visiting someone here," Clary suggested.

Will looked at her incredulously. "In the middle of Yorkshire by herself? And that was our carriage I recognize it. It was the only one in the carriage house. No, my family is in this somehow. they've been dragged into this bloody mess and I have to warn them!" he started down the hill again. Jem called after him but he didn't turn around.

Jace stepped forward so that he was standing level with the other boy. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that that _wasn't _something we wanted to have happen."

"No!" Jem said with obvious distress. "It was not." He started to hurry after Will but stumbled coughing. Jace caught him and lowered him down to the ground. When Jem took his hand away from his mouth, Jace saw a flash of red that was unmistakably blood. Tessa sank down next to him looking concerned. "I'm alright," Jem chocked out through his coughing.

"Your definition of 'alright' must be different from my version," Clary commented. She sat near Jem and reached out with her stele in hand.

Jace decided that Clary would be able to take care of the issue and put aside the issue of Jem caoughing up blood for the time being. He looked after Will. "Someone should probably go stop him before he gets to the house right?"

Jem struggled into a sitting position. "I'll go," he said, coughing again.

"Oh please," Jace dismissed confidently. "I'm faster than you on your best day," he turned to look at Clary. "I'll be right back."

Clary nodded. "Go."

Jace took off. For most people his pace would be a flat out sprint, but Jace didn't even feel his lungs struggling to process the air. He barely took the time to watch his feet but he didn't trip. Within seconds he had over taken Will and spun around to face him. "Bad plan," he said casually.

Will froze and stared at him. "How the bloody hell-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jace dismissed. "You are awed by my astounding speed and physical ability. Now, either turn around and walk back up the hill or try and get past me. We really haven't got all day to do this."

Will swung at him with a hard punch but Jace had already dodged and repositioned himself, staying between Will and the manor. Will's gaze found him again It was incredible to see the speed Jace actually moved with. It was like sunlight on waves. To Will's eyes, it looked like Jace was occupying multiple spaces at once. Or perhaps flashing between the two.

Jace looked at his furious ancestor unconcernedly. "Would this be a good time to mention that your _parabatai _is coughing up blood back at the top of the hill right about now?"

Will punched out again, and Jace allowed him to get in a hit to his stomach, but tensed his muscles so that the blow failed to hurt. He used Will's distraction and impulsive movements to bring a hard hit out against the other boy's rib cage. Will crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

_Ooops. _Jace thought. _That might have been a little bit harder than it should have been. Human force, just think human force. _Jace stayed where he was. "Are you ready to walk away now?" Jace asked levelly.

Will gasped out something that Jace recognized as the Welsh Victorian equivalent of "screw you."

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that," Jace mused. "I swear to god I'd be rich. Now, get your breath back, think over what you were going to do, then try to answer that question again."

Will glared and continued to curse Jace out.

"Okay," Jace said pleasantly. "That works too," he sat down across from Will and stretched out his legs, propping himself up on his elbows.

A few minutes later, Will had managed to clear his head out somewhat. He looked at Jace's face o see that the blonde boy looked irritatingly calm and unperturbed with his eyes shut. He looked for all the world like he was enjoying a nice day out in the country. It didn't sit well with Will's current mental state. "Jem," he said finally. "Is he alright."

"That depends on how you define 'alright'," Jace said, his eyes opening. "Is it alright for him to be coughing up blood?" Will's face paled. "Didn't think so," Jace said, noticing. "Sadly, your friends medical isssues are not our biggest problem at the moment," he continued. He raised his hand and pointed to a spot halfway down the hill above the manner. "Look there."

Will's head snapped around and focused on the spot Jace was pointing at. There, standing like a statue was an automaton. It was tall and spindly like a huge insect. Will swore under his breath. "That's another one of Mortmain's infernal devices. I swear they're getting uglier everytime. The last batch at least looked slightly human."

Jace narrowed his eyes and zoomed in on the thing on the thing more fully. He let out a low whistle. "I think Mortmain needs to grow up. Wind up toys? Is this guy mentally five?"

At that moment Clary came down the hill, Tessa and Jem following behind her. Jace noticed Jem nod to Will, a silent sign that he was alright.

"You've seen the automatons?" Jem asked. "I think that thing's been following us. I saw a flash of metal from the carriage window. Do you really want to lead that thing right to your family's front door?"

Will met his eyes. His voice was much more controlled when he spoke again. "I won't go near the house," he promised. He and Jace stood together.

"Great!" Jace said, clapping Will on the shoulder. "Now let's go kill an oversized wind up beetle."

"At least it's not a duck," Tessa pointed out.

Her comment was mostly missed as both boys had already gone tearing off towards the automatons.

Jem turned quickly to Clary. "Thank you," he said. "For the rune," then he too was gone."

Clary and Tessa exchanged a glance, then Clary hitched up the edges of her dress to reveal that she was still wearing her sneakers before fallowing. Tessa joined her. It was not easy to climb a hill in full skirts, and both girls indulged in a few unladylike words.

Clary huffed. "Those boys need to try running around in one of these dresses some time and see how well they like it!"

Tessa found herself in complete agreement on the matter.

**A/N: How was it? I'm sorry that most of these updates are coming every other day now. My school gets out on the 12th and then there will be more to the story more often. Review if you liked it! If you hated it, well review anyway. Criticism is constructive. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I really don't own these characters or the plot that they are a part of. I'm just chaperoning them while they have a play date, and am trying to make sure that Jace and Will play nice.**

Clary was not generally a fast runner. She was what some people may even consider 'accident prone'. Simon had jokingly claimed that she was just more highly devoted to testing weather gravity was still working than most people were. Running up a hill in a dress and high healed shoes is never easy for anyone but people like Isabelle. For Clary, running up a hill in a Victorian dress with high heels was nearly synonymous with the word, 'impossible.' That was why Clary had thought that wearing her own sneakers was worth the risk. She had come to learn that no matter how safe someone said a trip involving Shadowhunters was, someone would probably end up running for their lives. That someone was generally Clary.

She seamed to be having a slightly easier time of it than Tessa was though. Clary was at least used to running for her life. Tessa had only had the pleasure a few times. Clary whipped around to look back down the hill when she heard Tessa scream. She saw a tall, spindly automaton with hands that bore a stunning resemblance to weed whackers.

Tessa rolled to the side and picked up a large stick.

Clary swore with a few choice words that she would have probably been grounded for if Jocelyn had been around to hear them, before she began to hurriedly move back down the hill. People always assumed that running down a hill was easier than running back up it. Clary had decided that those people were wrong, or at the very least not considering all of the angles. Running down a hill is easier than going up it if and only if you have no quams about the possibility of breaking your neck. If you had to run down a hill _and_ keep all of your limbs in the shapes they originally formed in, then going down the hill in question becomes considerably harder.

Clary tripped a bit, and nearly turned her ankle several times but managed to get down to where Tessa was before too much time elapsed. She reached down towards her waiste for the seraph blade she normally kept in her belt loop. She remembered that she was wearing a dress, and so had no belt loops a split second before her fingers were met with empty air.

Clary let out another swear before reaching up quickly to the top of her dress for her spare knife. She figured, if regular people did it with phones, then why couldn't she apply the practice to deadly weapons. Her fingernails clacked against, and pulled at the chain around her neck where the Morgenstern ring hung. In her haste, Clary accidentally pulled the chain free of her dress. Clary held the still closed seraph blade in her hand. "Raphael," Clary said. Her voice trembled a little. No matter how many times she went head to head with a demonic creature, the initial jolt of fear never went away completely.

The blade sprang to life with a sputtering light just as the creature shattered the stick Tessa had been using to defend herself. Clary heard a metallic whirring sound. It was like the buzzing of a small, metallic, wasp. A small, bronze, shape seemed to fly from near Tessa's collarbone and out towards the automaton. The creature jerked back, one of it's fingers was leaking a sinister looking fluid.

The sight made Clary shudder. It brought up memories of the night her brother had brought down the demon wards of Alicante. His blood had been black too.

Suddenly a hole appeared in the creatures chest.

The automaton shuddered and keeled sideways onto the ground.

Jace, Jem, and Will were revealed in the gap. Will was holding a long, glinting sword. Jem was clutching a witchlight stone. Jace was empty handed since he had used his weapon to impale the automaton.

Will swung the sword and cut the automaton almost completely in half to reveal a disgusting, bioligical looking mess.

Clary skipped away from the spilling wires, feeling more grossed-out than anything else. She had never liked dissections in biology class. She had only barely gotten through the class with Simon volunteering to deal with the more gooey parts of the proceedings.

Jace had his eyes fixed on the creature. He seemed to be using the same sort f tunnel vision that Jace developed when he was really, _really, _pissed off. "Tell us," he gritted out. "What are you doing here? Why are you following us?"

"Who gives," Jace said. "I want to know where in the hell Billy Boy got the sword from."

Both Will and the automaton ignored him. The creature's razor-lined mouth opened and it spoke with a buzzing, grinding noise that hurt Clary's ears. _"I am a warning from the Magister."_

"A warning to who?" Will demanded. "To the family in the manor? Tell me!"

Jem stepped forward and placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "It doesn't feel pain Will," he said in a low, calm voice. "It has a message. Let it deliver it."

"_A warning to you Will Herondale... and to all Nephilim," _The automaton's voice jerked to a halt before grinding back up again. "_The Magister says...you must cease your investigation. The past...is the past. Leave Mortmain buried, or your family will pay the price. Do not dare approach or warn them. If you do, they will be destroyed."_

Will snarled like an animal with rabies, and slashed out with a sword. He hacked at the demon until it resembled so many shredded metal bits.

"I think it's dead now," Jace commented mildly.

Jem stepped forward and yanked his friend bodily backwards to bring him to a stop. "Will enough," he said firmly. He glanced up into the distance and Clary shuddered. She saw that there were several more automatons like the one Will had just shredded lurking there. "We must go," Jem said. "If we want to draw them off away from your family then we have to leave."

Will hesitated

Jace rolled his eyes. "Oh by the Angel," he muttered. He pitched his vocal level a little higher to actually add it to the conversation. "Look, I'm all for breaking the law, but making contact with your family is a pretty major 'do not do.' If something goes wrong then the Clave won't help, and frankly," jace cast his golden eyes lazily over the small group. "We're not prepped for a battle from a tacticle stand point." He fixed his eyes on Will. "You know how to play chess, think about how this play could end. I give us about a 40% chance of us all getting out of that kind of battle okay."

* * *

The group hid the destroyed remains of the automaton, and trudged back towards the carriage. Clary shivered in the now damp air. "It's going to rain soon," she commented.

Jace looked up at the sky and squinted as a few small raindrops fell down onto his face. "Soon seems to be getting sooner now a days," he mused.

They all climbed back into the carriage, and Jem pulled the door closed as they began to put York behind them.

Jem tried to make some small conversation about the weather but it didn't go anywhere.

Clary looked over at Will. He looked...empty. His eyes were the same color as the bottom of the ocean. "Cecily," Clary said in a kind voice. "You said she was your sister. She does look like Isabelle." Will remained silent.

Tessa shivered visibly and Jem, who was sitting next to her pulled an old blanket from off the floor and spread it over them both.

Clary simply shifted closer into Jace who shifted his arm so that it lay over the back of her shoulders. He had been incredibly warm ever since the heavenly fire had entered his veins. Jace radiated heat almost like a furnace.

"Are you cold Will?" Tessa asked.

Will just shook his head and continued to stare out of the window at the passing blur of countryside.

Tessa looked at Jace, Jem, and Clary with something close to desperation.

Jace merely shrugged and tipped his head down so that his cheek was lying on top of Clary's damp curls. Clary could tell from his breathing that he was quickly beginning a journey to a mini nap. Clary gave Tessa a sympathetic expression. She still sometimes had trouble getting Jace to tell her everything that he was thinking. She figured that her chances of getting Will to open up were at a grand total of zip.

It was Jem who spoke. "Will," he started cautiously. "I thought... I thought that your sister was dead."

Will pulled his gaze from the window. He made it look like a physical trial. When he smiled, he looked more like the surrealist painting _Scream _than someone who was actually at all happy. "My sister is dead," he said.

"She looked pretty functional to me," Jace murmured so only Clary could hear him.

Despite her best efforts, Clary felt her mouth twitch into the ghost of a smile.

* * *

There was no more time for any kind of conversation as they boarded the train. Thankfully Jace woke up by himself before Clary had to. She always felt guilty when Jace was sleeping and she had to wake him up. When it came to Jace, cat napping was practically a sacred event.

His wakefulness didn't really last long. As soon as the train had pulled out of that station, Jace had fallen back asleep.

Clary was tired herself, so she got comfortable in the train seat. She half listened to the conversations going on and half dozed. Apparently Will didn't want Tessa to pry about his sister, and still wasn't talking for the most part. Everything was still worrying about Will's family, Tessa was worried about what Jessamine would think of that state of her hands, and she would guess from Jem's manor that he harbored feelings that were a little warmer than friendly towards Tessa.

Clary supposed that that could be something to worry about, but she was getting to sleepy to care. She only caught a few more key things, like the fact that Tessa had managed to procure something of Starkweather's that she could use to change into him. Frankly Clary found that a little bit creepy, and Clary's perception of what was creepy was fairly jaded by that point.

She jolted back to being almost fully awake by the harsh sound of Jem's coughing. She looked at him carefully. Earlier when Jem had been coughing up blood she had given him a few runes. One was one she had made up to sooth lung function when Luke had had pneumonia. The other rune was just an energy rune she had modified to be stronger than it would be normally, like an instant recharge. She hadn't even asked _why _he was caoughing up blood. If it became a habit then she would have to _start _asking some questions.

"Just some dust caught in my throat," Jem assured the room.

Everyone relaxed, and Clary let herself actually fall asleep. She woke up to Jace shaking her shoulder when the train pulled in at Kings Cross.

Before the train had even stopped moving Will was out of his seat and out the door. Clary thought if he hadn't been a Shadowhunter he would have gotten himself hurt. Some Shadowhunters would have even been hurt by that jump. Clary mused that it might just be a part of the Herondale DNA strands. A whole lot of dumb luck.

Jace looked around the room quickly. "I'm going after him," he announced. And almost more quickly than the others could even see he was out of the train and a part of the crowd on the platform, melding seamlessly with the other people.

Jem moved to follow but he didn't really have a prayer. Clary studied expressions and body language quiet often as an artist, and Jem's said that he knew both boys were to quick with too much of a head start for him to follow after them. With a deliberate movement he slid the door shut and sank into the seat next to Clary and across from Tessa.

"But Will and Jace-" Tessa began to protest.

"They'll be alright," Clary assured her. "If there is one extra thing that Jace has a special talent for it is handling nasty situations."

Jem nodded. "I think that Will most probably wants to be alone. I doubt he will even take kindly to Mr-" he broke off again as he still didn't know Jace's last name. That only left his first name, and that felt a little bit to familiar to use simply because a last name was unknown. "I doubt he will take kindly to Jace following him," he finished. Clary saw that he was a little more worried then he was really letting on, but was trying to be calm for Tessa. "They will both be alright," he said with forced conviction.

Clary turned to look back out at the crowd. She knew Jace and Will were capable. Now she could only hope that Jem was right.

**A/N: What did you think? I am sorry about the delay and the length, but I've had a math exam I had to study for as well as end of year testing. Besides, my computer deleated this like three times so I had to retype it repeatedly. I hope you like the chapter. Review for me! I'll get the next one out sooner I promise! :) :) :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All of these characters and the basic plot belongs to Cassandra Clare, and I'm still not her. Nor am I Super Girl, or a professional ballerina while we're on the subject of what I'm not.**

Will ran through the London streets as fast as he could. He was putting his body through such a rigorous beet down that he could actually feel the strain the exercise was putting on his lungs and heart. Will was concentrating so hard on getting to his destination successfully that he almost couldn't find it in his mental capacity to be infuriated at how easily Jace was managing to follow him. He could feel the other boy's presence a few paces behind him. If he really concentrated he could hear Jace's even, regulated breathing. Will had momentarily contemplated trying to lose him the way he might if some other being was on his trail, but in his current emotional state, he really couldn't be bothered.

When Will reached the front door, he stopped and attacked the door. Part of him hoped that once he was through it, the infuriatingly strange blonde would give up and go back to the Institute. Unfortunately for Will's already fraying nerves, Jace appeared leaning against the door frame. Raindrops shimmered in his blonde hair like diamonds set into a gold background. His breathing and body language suggested he had been enjoying a leisurely walk instead of a near flat out run.

Jace tipped his head back to look up at the top of the building. "This house is rather fetching," he commented in the manner of a real estate agent. "I particularly like the charming little window boxes, and architectural molding around the door frame and roofing eves. Who lives here?"

Will ignored him and returned to attacking the heavy oak of the door.

* * *

Magnus heard the sound and immediately thought, _Will. _The Shadowhunter boy had fast become like an annoying relative. Someone who you didn't voluntarily spend much time with, but also couldn't find it in your heart to ignore them. He dog eared the page of the book he had been reading. Camille would e furious. Magnus had grown familiar with the patterns that accompanied Will. Things like the sounds of his boots in the hall.

Magnus frowned. Something was wrong with that noise. The sound of Will's booted footsteps where joined by another set. If Magnus had had to guess he would say that this second person was of roughly the same height and build as Will, but their footsteps were quieter, as though they were treading more carefully.

The door to the parlor flew open to reveal Will standing on the threshold. He looked half wretched and half triumphant. It was quite a feet actually. "I _knew _you were here," he announced. "Now will you tell this-this overgrown bat to stop hovering over my shoulder," he said, indicating behind him.

"I highly resent that," interjected a new voice. The voice held a marked resemblance to Will's own when he felt secure in the knowledge that he could reduce his situation into cleverly worded comments. "My features are far more angelic, or possible feline than cat-like, and if I'm overgrown than you most certainly are. In fact, you're nearly half an inch taller than me."

"I was referring to Archer," Will snapped at the other boy. He fixed his sky sapphire toned eyes on Magnus. "Tell him you want to see me," he demanded.

Magnus placed his book on the table. "Maybe I don't want to see you," he said reasonably. "I told Archer to let no one in, not to let no one in but you." Magnus narrowed his eyes to see past where Will was standing in the doorway. All he could make out was a glint of golden hair. "Or your mysterious new friend."

"The golden one threatened me," Archer hissed in an inhuman voice. "I shall tell my mistress."

"You do that," said the voice, you could almost here the eye roll implied with the words. "I'll leave my address so she knows where to send my thank you card." Apparently the owner of the voice got tired of waiting for Magnus to invite them in, and instead pushed past Will (who was practicing giving Magnus his most pleading look) and stalked into the room. That was the best description of his movements. He moved smoothly, and alertly, ready to attack at any moment.

The boy _was _approximately Will's height and build, though he had been right in his estimation that Will was perhaps a half inch taller. The two boys had the same long, thin frames. If it hadn't been for the defined muscles visible on the strangers arms and chest, he could have been considered slight. They shared perhaps a few small facial features, and pieces underlining bone structure. That was where his physical similarities to Will ended. Where Will was dark haired, this boy's was the approximate color of polished gold. When the boy locked eyes with Magnus, the warlock saw the first truly startling aspect of his features. At first glance the boy's eyes seemed to be golden orange flame. Closer inspection revealed that his eyes had the same precise color and reflective quality of pools of melted gold.

Magnus frowned further. There was something... familiar about his aura. Magnus felt strangely like he should know this golden boy already. He supposed it was the attitude of arrogance, and confident sarcasm that seemed to radiate from him as a shield surrounding a barely visible vulnerable core. Could this explain the fire message he had gotten a few days ago. "And you are?" Magnus asked.

The boy flicked his eyes briefly over to Will before making a seemingly split second decision. "Jace," Jace drawled. He met Magnus's gaze calmly. "Jace Baron Vonhotstuff. A pleasure to meet you I'm sure. Now if you don't mind I'll sit here quietly and watch the interpersonal opera between you and my cousin Billy Boy. Have fun." With that, Jace flopped into one of Camille's more padded arm chairs and kicked his feet up on an autumn.

Magnus turned his mind away from the stranger momentarily and looked back at Will. He took a moment to curse his weakness for black hair and blue eyes. "Oh very well," he said with a martyred sigh. "You may as well stay and talk to me. But I'm not raising a demon until I've had my supper unless you've turned up some sort of hard proof. And don't think either one of you will be leaving until I've had some questions answered," he warned.

"No," Will said. He stepped into the room eagerly, and slammed the door shut on Archer. He locked it for good measure and strode over to the fireplace. He lay his gloves on the mantel and held his hands out to the flames to warm them up. "I don't want you to raise a demon."

"Huh," Magnus kicked up his own booted feet across the table from Jace's. "That's good news I suppose-"

"I want you to send me through. To the demon realms."

"This is better than an opera," Jace muttered.

Magnus felt rather inclined to agree with the blonde boy on that matter. He choked a little bit. "You want me to do _what_?"

"Well," Jace said sitting up straight again. "I think Tall, Dark, and Tortured asked you to open a Portal to a demon dimension and push him through so he can go kill things," he turned and looked at Will. "Is that accurate so far? Oh, and fun fact," he turned back to Magnus. "What he asked you to do it black magic, illegal, and pretty close to necromancy. Okay," he gestured with his hand. "Intermission over. Continue with the show."

"No one need know," Will gritted out, frowning at Jace.

"Really." Magnus's tone was acidic. "These have a way of getting out. And if the Clave found out I'd sent one of their own, their most promising, to be rent apart by demons in another dimension-"

"The clave does not consider me promising." Will said coldly. "I am no promising. I am not anything, nor will I ever be. Not without your help."

"I'm beginning to think you were sent to test me Will Herondale."

Will gave a harsh laugh. "By god?"

"Doubtfull," Jace commented off handedly. He had begun to flip through the book Magnus had discarded. He threw it back down on the table. "Put that somewhere dry," he advised. "It'll be worth a fortune 100 years from now. Which you will be around for, so bonus."

Magnus gave him a half-curious, half-exasperated look. The certainty the boy spoke with was slightly off putting. "By the Clave," he said to Will. "Who might as well be God. Perhaps they simply seek to find out weather I am willing to break the law."

Jace looked prepared to break in again with another comment but Will cut him off. "I am deadly earnest," he said, staring at Magnus. "This is not some sort of test. I cannot go on like this. Summoning up demons at random, never having them be the correct one, endless hope, endless disappointment. Every day dawns blacker and blacker, and I will lose her forever if you don't-"

"Lose _her?" _Magnus asked. Fastening in on the word.

"Enter the girl to make this a true work worthy of Shakespeare," Jace said, now examining his perfectly shaped fingernails. He looked up at Magnus. "All great stories have one, requited love is ideal, but it hardly makes for a good story. And if there is any sort of a force controlling fate, you can be damned sure they like stories. I speak from experience." He shifted back in his seat and fixed his golden eyes on Will. "This had better be about Tessa, because if this comes around to Jessamine I feel required to tell you I will be out of here faster than a vampire out of church."

Will flushed a brilliant rosy shade. "Not just Tessa."

"But you love her?" Jace stated. "I'm just checking my fact here."

Will stared at him and Magnus both. "Of course I do," he said finally. "I had come to think I would never love anyone, but I love her."

Magnus saw Jace's face soften somewhat as the blonde boy gave a small smile. "It's funny how the right girl will do that to you."

"Is this curse supposed to be something about taking away you're ability to love?" Magnus asked. "Because that's nonsense if I've ever heard it. Jem's your _parabatai. _I've seen you with him. You love him, don't you?"

"Jem is my great sin," Will said darkly. "Don't talk to me about Jem."

Jace looked moderately impressed. "Sin, check. Girl, check. Curse, check. Emotional issues, check." he cocked his head to the side, considering. "Alright. This is just typical enough of my life to be a plausible issue."

Magnus raised his eyebrows at Jace. The way he ticked off those issues left little to no doubt that he was being serious. To some people his attitude would be far to brash. They might even think that Jace was actively drawing pleasure from Will's pain, but Magnus didn't. What he saw was a boy who had been handed the short end of life way to many times over a very short life, and was now watching it happen to someone else from the sidelines.

"Don't talk to you about Jem. Don't talk to you about Tessa," Magnus seethed out load to Will. "You want me to open a portal to the demon worlds for you, and you won't talk to me or tell me why? I won't do it Will." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Will stood very still by the mantel. The light from the planes cast his silhouette beautifully against the wall. "I saw my younger sister Cecily today. I knew my family lived, but I never thought I would see them again. They cannot be near me.

"Oh for Angel's sake," Jace said in exasperation before getting to his feet and stalking over to face Will. "I have _never _known my real family. My father died before I was born. All I have left of him fits in a single box under my bed. That box has a stack of letters, a ring, a dagger, and one taatered handed down copy of _A Tale of Two Cities. _I'll never know if I would have had siblings. The ones I thought I had for a while are ones I _never _want to think are my siblings ever again." He stepped even closer so that he was nose to nose with Will. "_Your family,"_ he emphasized with a poke to Will's chest. "Are alive and healthy. You have two parents and a younger sister who is probably wondering where the hell her brother is. You would do well to remember that."

"You don't understand," Will said, his voice raising. "I am the problem. I am poison to them. Poison to anyone who loves me."

Jace let out a slow, controlled breath and took a step back. "That's funny," he said. "Charlotte and Henry seemed pretty alive last time I saw them, and I can tell when parents love children. I've lived with Alec and Isabelle's parents long enough to be able to do that." Jace turned around and sank back into his previously vacated chair. "So what's this supposed curse?"

Will took a deep breath and then began. "I was in the library at my parent's house in Wales on a rainy afternoon. I was going through my father's old things. He kept a few things from his old life as a Shadowhunter, things he hadn't wanted to give up. Among them was a small engraved box. Of course the first thing I did upon finding the box was open it. A mist poured out of it in a blast, forming almost instantly into a living demon. I began to scream. I was only twelve. Id never seen anything like it. Enormous, deadly, all jagged teeth and barbed tale. I had nothing. No weapons. When it roared, I fell to the carpet. The thing was hovering over me, hissing. Then my sister burst in."

"Cecily?" Magnus asked.

Will shook his head. "Ella. My Elder sister. She had a seraph blade in he hand. At the time I had no idea what it was. I screamed for her to get out, but she put herself between the creature and me. She never had any fear my sister, and she had no fear there, in the library. She told the thing to get out and it just laughed."

It would. Magnus felt a pricking of something like sympathy. The second in as many minutes. The first had been upon hearing Jace's miniature tirade. he felt that if he had ever gotten to meet Will's sister, he would have liked her. A girl knowing nothing about summoning or banishment, had stood her ground against a demon regardless.

"The demon swung out with its tail, knocking her to the ground. Then it fixed its eyes on me. They were all red, no whites. It said, 'It is your father I would destroy, but as he is not here, you will have to do.' I was so shocked al I could do was stare. Ella was crawling across the carpet grabbing for the seraph blade. 'I curse you,' it said. 'All who love you will die. Their love will be their destruction. It may take moments, it may take years, but any who look upon you with love will die of it, unless you remove yourself from them forever. And I shall begin it with _her.' _It snarled in Ella's direction, and vanished."

Magnus felt fascinated despite himself. It was another weakness of his. "And did she fall dead."

Jace's eyes followed Will who was now pacing. "I'm going to go ahead and put money on 'no'."

"You're right," Will told him. Jace nodded as though he had expected absolutely nothing else. "She was unharmed. She took me in her arms. _She _comforted _me_. She told me the demon's words meant nothing. She admitted she had read some of the forbidden books in the library, and that was how she knew what a seraph blade was and how to use it, and that the thing I had opened was called a Pyxis. She made me promise not to touch any of our parent's things again unless she was there."

"What is it with Shadowhnter parents and forbidden sections of library's?" Jace wondered aloud. "If any of them ever picked up a parenting manual they would know that as soon as their kids hit age 10 that ruling just isn't going to hold." He noticed that Magnus and Jace were both looking at him slightly sideways. "Please keep going," he gestured. "I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually more interested in what you're saying than my own inner thoughts."

"We are all in awe of this momentous occasion," Magnus quipped. "Now be quiet and let Will finish.

"Ella told my mother I was suffering some small fever," Will went on. "I was beginning to enjoy the fuss being made around me, and was already thinking of a way to tell Cecily. Leaving out of course, that Ella had saved my life while I screamed like a child."

"You _were_ a child," Magnus put in.

"I was old enough to know what was going on when I woke up to my mother howling with grief." Will responded. "She was in Ella's room. Ella was dead in her bed. They did their best to keep me out, but I saw what I needed to see. She was swelled up, greenish-black like something had rotted her from the inside. She didn't look like my sister anymore. She didn't look _human _anymore. I knew what had happened even if they didn't. '_All who love you will die. And I shall begn it with her.' _It was my curse at work. I knew I had to get away before I brought the same horror down on the rest of them. I left that night, following the road to London."

Magnus opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it again. For once in his considerably long life, he didn't know what to say. He looked over at Jace, but the boy wasn't meeting his gaze. Instead he was starring into the fire. His expression reminded Magnus of a boy whom he had pulled from the river Thames in December. Jace looked almost as numb. His lips were moving, but no sound was coming from them.

"So you see," said Will. "My curse can hardly be called nonsense. I have seen it at work, and since then I have striven to make sure that what happened to Ella will happen to no one else in my life. Can you imagine it? Can you?"

"Yes," Jace said. The pitch of his voice was so low that Magnus was sure he had been the only one to hear it.

Will raked his fingers through his hair so that it spilled into his face. "Never letting anyone near you. Making everyone who might otherwise love you hate you. I distanced myself from my family so they might forget me. Each day I must show cruelty to those I have chosen to make my home with, lest they let themselves feel too much affection for me."

"Tess..." Magnus's mind was suddenly full of images of the gray eyed girl, who had looked at Will as if he were the sun rising in the horizon. "You think she doesn't love you?"

"Of course he thinks that," Jace said suddenly. He got up and crossed over to the space Will had occupied previously by the fire. The flames shinig through the gold of his hair made him look like an actual angel with a halo. "People are cruelest to the people they are trying their hardest to keep from caring about, or being cared for by."

Will nodded, looking absolutely wretched. "I think there was a time when she almost- I thought she was dead, you see, and I showed her. I let her see what I felt. I think at the time she may have returned my feelings, but I crushed them as brutally as I could. I imagine she simply hates me now."

"And Jem?" Magnus asked, half dreading the answer.

"Jem is dying anyway," Will choked out. "Jem is what I have allowed myself. I tell myself if he dies, it is not my fault. He is dying anyway, and in pain. Ella's death at least was swift. Perhaps through me he can have a good death." He miserably met Magnus's accusatory gaze. Jace was still staring at the flames. "No one can have nothing," he whispered. "Jem is all I have."

"You should have told him," said Magnus. "he would have chosen to be your _parabatai _anyway, even knowing the risks."

"I could not burden him with the knowledge! He would keep it a secret if I asked him to, but it would cause him pain to know it. The pain I cause others would hurt him. But, if I were to tell Charlotte, to tell Henry and the rest, that my behavior is a sham, that the cruel things I have said to them were a lie, that I wander the streets only to give the impression that I have been out drinking when in reality I have no desire to-then I have ceased to push them away."

"So you've told no one but us since you were twelve years old," Jace said, not looking away from the wall. "Were you not at all worried that your curse would effect us? That after finding out the truth we could conceivably care for you?"

Will glared at the back of his blond head. "Worrying that people would care for me was the vary reason I didn't tell them. However warlocks doubtless have ways of protecting against such things, and from your attitude I don't believe you are any particular danger of my course taking effect. However, for thoe such as Charlotte and Henry, if they knew the persona I presented to them was false, if they knew of my true heart then they might come to care for me."

"And then they would die," said Magnus.

There was a long moment of silence, and then Jace spoke. He said his words in the way that someone would if they were quoting well known doctrine, but Magnus had never heard the words before. "To love is to destroy,"

"What?" Will said with something close to shock.

. "To love is to destroy," he repeated, turning around to face them. His eyes looked blank and empty. "To love is to destroy and to be loved is to be the one destroyed. Only you've got the opposite problem."

The three stayed in silence for a few long moments, considering the words. Magnus quickly came to a conclusion. "William," he said. "Thank you for telling me what you have. I'll do my best to try and assist you. Archer will show you out. Now, please give me a few moments to discuss things with your friend."

**A/N: How was it? I'm sorry it took a while for me to write this, I had my school graduation and end of year parties and things. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review for me!11**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are all owned by Cassandra Clare who isn't me. I also don't own _Harry Potter, _which I referenced towards the end. Owning either one of these stories would have made my life really freaking awesome, but sadly I don't, so my life is ordinary.**

Jace reclined further into his chair as the door closed behind Will. He took several deap and steady breaths and did his best to look unconcerned as Magnus locked the door and turned back around to look at him through narrowed eyes. Jace had always disliked the fact that Magnus's cat-like eyes made his face harder to read. The best Jace could figure in this case was that Magnus was either suspicious, angry, or going to fry him. Maybe he would angrily fry him while feeling suspicious.

"You!" Magnus said jabbing a finger at him. "Who the hell are you?!" Jace opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus interrupted him. "Don't say Baron VonHotstuff again because frankly you are a terrible liar and if you try lying to me again I will fry you!" As though to emphasize his point small squibs of blue flame shot from his fingertips.

Jace watched the warlock's hands warily and stood up slowly. "Alright," he said slowly. "The truth it is, but at the end of it you're going to wish I had lied to you."

Magnus pulled a small piece of paper from a pocket of his doublet. "Would you happen to be Shadowhunters from the future who I absolutely positively shouldn't kill no matter how irritating you are?"

Jace shrugged. "That works I guess."

"So you would be the arrogant blonde," Magnus guessed. "Who are the 'sort of cute red head', the 'tall proud one', and 'the hottie with the blue eyes'? And what is your real name?"

Jace took a moment to decide weather to tell the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help him God. He concluded that he really had nothing to lose. If Magnus knew the truth then maybe he would help them back to their own time and this whole Victorian nightmare would end. "Clary is the red head. Though she's much better looking than 'sort of cute.' Isabelle is 'the tall proud one.' Since it was you writing that Alec is the other one."

"What about you?" Magnus asked. He was determined to work out exactly what his future self had been talking about. Apparently, future him was going to be just as vague and unhelpful as ever.

"I'm-," Jace started to say and then stopped, and swallowed. "My name is Jonathan Christopher Herondale. I was born in 1991."

Magnus felt his jaw drop. The message he had received had said 'from the future'. He had assumed that that meant about ten years, maybe twenty, not one-hundred and thirty. "So Will is your-"

"Great, great, great, great, grandfather," Jace finished. "Yeah, I know. And Damn his life is screwed right now. Mine was just as bad a little while ago. Maybe the Herondale family has some big cosmic deal going with the universe. One descendant deals with crap every six generations in return for few generations of happy sanity in between."

Magnus's curiosity was piqued. "What could be worse than falling in love with a girl who would die if she ever loved you back?"

Jace let out a short, bitter, laugh. "Not a whole hell of a lot," he admitted. "But falling in love with your sister isn't exactly sunshine, roses, and little baskets of candy."

Magnus choked. "Sister?"

"We weren't actually biologically related," Jace said tonelessly. He had returned to studying the flames in the grate. "The person who told us that was lying to manipulate us, but still-" he broke off. "I had thought that I might be physically unable to love. To gain that security again, only to have it ripped away," he shuddered. "It's not a pleasant experience."

"To love is to destroy," Magnus remembered. "That's what you said earlier."

Jace nodded. "One of the lessons instilled by my oh-so-loving adoptive father. That one was accompanied with others," he looked up at Magnus. "Would you like to take a wild guess as to what my ninth birthday present was?" Magnus was silent, and Jace went on. "It was how to find the one spot on someones back that if penetrated with a knife would sever their spine and pierce their heart."

Silence filled the room for several moments as Magnus tried to process all of his newly gained information. "So if you're a Herondale, what are the others?"

"Clary is a Fairchild," Jace answered. "Alec and Isabelle are both Lightwoods."

Magnus shivered a little. "Strange that your families all managed to find each other again. Tell me, do you happen to know a Carstairs?"

Jace shook his head. "I know there's an Emma Carstairs in Los Angeles. I think she's around thirteen years old. I've never met her." Jace stood up straight, and stretched his back. "Anyway, there's our story. I suppose weather or not you help us with it now is up to you. I'll show myself out." With that he made his way towards the door. When he was nearly all the way through it, he stopped and turned. He pulled a camera from his pocket and took several quick photos before moving again.

Magnus cleared his throat. "What the hell was that."

"A camera," Jace told him. "They get popular pretty soon. Now, I'll leave you here to contemplate weather or not you'll help me and my friends get back to 2013."

"Do I help you later?" the warlock asked. He found himself strangely intrigued by the shear coincidences that had brought everybody into this situation.

Jace laughed. It was warmer than the laugh he had used earlier. he sounded more genuinely amused. "Magnus," he said honestly. "I wouldn't be here without you," with that he walked through the door.

Magnus sat back down in his armchair and spent several minutes trying to decide weather those parting words had been meant as a compliment.

* * *

The next morning when Jace stumbled into the Institute the next morning he was only minimally surprised to see that Will's seat was empty. He had been roaming London all night long to try and track Will, after all, what was he going to do with the night otherwise? But the other boy had had a head start on him, and Jace had nothing of Will's to track him with.

Jace stumbled into the dinning room and fell into a seat between Clary and Alec. He turned to his _parabatai. _"I spent half of the night talking with a pre-glitter Magnus. It was both terrifying and reassuring in a strange way."

"Hello Jace," Clary said from his other size. "It's good to see that you lived. How about you greet the breakfast table before you show us pictures of a Magnus wearing normal clothes."

Jace turned to her and kissed her gently. Clary had to agree that it was a pretty good greeting as good mornings went. Jace pulled away after a moment and turned to everyone else at the table. They looked slightly stunned with the exceptions of Alec and Isabelle.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "To stem your questions, I spent my entire night trying to follow around your precious Billy Boy. He went to a warlock named Magnus Bane. I wont tell you what they talked about because it's not really your business. I have no clue where he is now and someone else might want to go try and find him. I suggest a bar and or an opium den. Good luck," with that, Jace returned to his eggs and bacon.

"You always did know how to start a morning," Isabelle commented from across the table.

Breakfast conversation sagged a bit after that. Isabelle and Alec told Jace about everything they had been doing while he and Clary were in Yorkshire. Soon Charlotte ordered Tessa and Sophie away for training, and Jace pulled everyone who had been born in the same century that he had into a side hall off of the dining room.

He pulled the small camera from his pocket and showed the photos of Magnus in Victorian clothing to the others.

"That is," Clary said slowly. "Really, really, weird."

"The lack of glitter is strangely off putting," Isabelle agreed. "You haven't said a word Alec."

"I'm just trying to process," Alec said numbly. "When we get back to a century with wifi I expect you to email these to me."

Jace gave a grin that was positively evil. "Oh I will, but you know that being back in this century could actually have a serious upside. If we can find the person who invented glitter and destroy their notes, we could all have a much saner future."

"Glitter does have some advantages," Isabelle argued.

"No," Jace told her. "It doesn't."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone running out of the building.

Jace turned to look at the others. "What's the betting that that's Gabriel Lightwood running like a bat out of hell?"

"I never bet," Clary said. "I always lose."

Jace turned to Izzy and Alec. "What about you guys?"

"I'm not betting against you when I agree with you Jack ass," Alec told him, rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to disagree with me to bet against me," Jace argued. "It's just the principle of the thing."

"I don't think it is," Clary interjected.

He turned to look at her accusatorially. "Who's side are you on?" he demanded, faking a hurt demeanor.

Clary held up her hands and took a very small step back. "When you and Alec start arguing I take the position generally occupied by Switzerland." Jace opened his mouth to say something more, but he was cut off by a big yawn. Clary put a hand on his shoulder. "Go to bed Jace," she told him. "You've been up for way to long, even by your standards."

Jace normally would have argued at being told to go to bed like a little child, but this time he knew that Clary was right. His eyelids felt like they weighed about a thousand pounds, and he felt almost like he was yawning more than he was breathing. He was vaguely aware of Clary towing him through the halls to his room to tuck him into his bed.

Jace heard Clary turn to leave and reached out, catching at her hand. "Stay," he commanded sleepily.

"And do what?" Clary asked. Jace thought that she sounded a bit amused.

Jace shrugged. "Tell me a bed time story," he suggested. Truthfully he just wanted Clary to stick around. Seeing Will's problems with Tessa had made him feel exceptionally glad that the most difficult part of his relationship with Clary had already been worked out.

Clary smiled and sat on the bed next to him. She cast her mind around to try and come up with a good bedtime story that she could tell Jace from memory. Finally she lighted on one of her own favorite books. "_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal thank you very much..."_

**_A/N: _What did you guys think? I know I didn't cover much plot in this chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway. I also wanted to put in a bit more fluff for Clary and Jace, so I hoped you liked it. Let me know if I'm writing Magnus the write way, I wasn't to sure about him.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Okay, if no one has bothered to read this over the last eleven hours then I am seriously thinking it's not worth writing it every single time. Either way, I don't own the characters or the plot. I'm just manipulating them. You know, like Sill Putty.**

Clary stayed next to Jace on the bed long after he had fallen asleep. She stroked her fingers lightly over the tiny crease between Jace's eyes until his forehead relaxed. Most people looked nothing but peaceful when they slept, but somehow Jace still managed to look like he was trying to work out a difficult math problem. Clary often wondered what he dreamed about. Jace _did _look more vulnerable when he slept, but he hardly ever actually looked peaceful.

Clary was worried about him. Jace had never really slept well, but since absorbing heavenly fire he had practically become an insomniac. Jace was one of the toughest, strongest, bravest, people she knew, but no one could function indefinitely without rest. Clary had only made it about half-way through the third chapter of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone _before she had heard Jace's breathing even out. Clary had been just sitting with him for nearly three hours.

Suddenly Jace began to twitch in his sleep. His breathing hitched, and his eyelids fluttered. Clary looked at him with concern and reached over to shake his shoulder, hoping to pull him out of whatever dream was bothering him.

Before she could Jace bolted upright, breathing heavily. He looked around quickly before his eyes landed on Clary. He reached over and crushed her into a hug.

Clary felt a tiny jolt, like static electricity against her skin. Jace had gotten better at controlling it, but when his emotions were running high, he could still deliver a fairly high volt electric shock. Clary ignored it and wrapped her arms gingerly around his neck and tucked her head in under his chin. She had the feeling that prying for answers wouldn't be the way to go, so she just waited for Jace to clam down a little. Eventually she asked, "Was it another nightmare?"

She felt Jace nod. "They're getting farther apart, but they're just as bad," he murmured. Clary could feel his voice vibrating through his chest.

She pulled her head back and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. They were closed at first, but Jace opened them slowly to look back at her. Clary lifted one hand to run a finger lightly over his face. "Do you want to tell me about what you dreamed?" she asked.

Jace shut his eyes again and shook his head. "Not-" he said. "Not right now. Maybe later, alright?"

Clary nodded and leaned forward to kiss him. She always felt a bit like the world was falling away when she and Jace kissed, and this was no different. The kiss was soft and careful, but also deep. Jace's mouth felt warm and soft against hers, and his hands were warm on her back. They only pulled apart when breathing became an absolute necessity.

Jace dropped his head forward and leaned it against Clary's. His breathing and heartbeat were both still quick, but not from the effect of his nightmare anymore. He had dreamed the same nightmare he always did; killing the people he was closest to without having any control over his own body.

He leaned down a bit farther and pressed several more quick kisses along Clary's cheek from her ear down her jaw bone before kissing her one more time.

"Mmm..." Clary breathed contentedly. "Do you want to try napping again? Or do you want to go back to the dinning room for lunch?"

"It's that late?" Jace said with a little surprise, pulling back a little.

Clary nodded. "I didn't want to wake you up earlier. You needed the sleep."

Jace smiled a bit to acknowledge that what she said was true. In a time without readily available coffee, it was harder to keep up the energy to function the way he normally did for long amounts of time. He pulled almost completely away apart from one hand which he slipped through one of Clary's. "I suppose we had better go downstairs and join the worry party over where ancestor dearest could have gotten to."

"At least we know where your impressive ability to cause trouble comes from now," Clary pointed out, getting up off of the bed to walk with him towards the door.

"I'd like to think that my ability to cause trouble is a trait that is uniquely my own," Jace answered, with his normal crooked smile. "Being able to annoy people and cause trouble successfully is a special talent very few people possess. It's one of the many things about me that makes me special."

"Maybe the reason that few people possess it is that you and Simon got the entire available allotment for our generation," Clary retorted.

Jace nodded like that made perfect sense. "That could work as a theory. Magnus must have gotten it for whatever century he's actually from. Will got it for the Victorian Era. That's assuming that sarcasm is a finite resource..." he trailed off considering. "I think it may just be my incredible wit and disregard for authority figures."

Clary rolled her eyes. "That must be it."

They reached the dinning room just in time for Sophie to come in with a few letters on a silver tray. "A letter for you miss," Sophie said to Tessa.

"Mail for _me_?" Tessa asked with astonishment, putting down the book she had been reading.

Sophie nodded and came closer, holding out the tray. "Yes but it doesn't say who it's from. Miss Lovelacce almost snatched it, but I managed to keep it from her, nosy thing." Tessa took the letter and Sophie turned to Jace with a strange expression. It was hard to read, but it seemed strangely confused. "There's also something here for you Master Jonathan."

Jace stiffened, and Clary could feel the muscles straining in his hand. "Why did you call me that?" he asked in a cold voice.

"It's what it says on the envelope," Sophie explained. "Since there was no other person at this address with a name that could be Jonathan I thought it had to be for you," she held out a thick, creamy envelope and Jace took it.

He glanced down at the envelope and swore in several languages, not all of which were immediately recognizable.

Clary leaned over and read the envelope. She found herself quite in agreement with Jace's statements. The outside of the envelope read in clear, unmistakable lettering. _Jonathan Christopher Herondale, London Institute. _She looked up at Sophie and Tessa. Tessa was looking at them curiously, and Sophie was staring at Jace with wide eyes.

"Now we're leaving," Jace said. He tightened his grip on Clary's hand and pulled her out of the room. "We need to go find Alec and Isabelle right now," he said in a low voice. "Magnus might have found a way to get us back to a time period with decent coffee." The two ran into the Lightwood siblings while they were walking the other way down the hall. Jace threw out an arm to stop their progress. "No," he told them, and manually turned Alec back around to go back down the hall.

Isabelle turned around by herself and asked, "What's going on?"

"This," Jace said, waving the letter. He handed it to Isabelle who read the front of it.

"Oh," Isabelle said, then the fact seemed to actually sink in. She locked eyes with Clary. "Do you think anyone else saw this?"

"Sophie definitely did," Clary said anxiously. "I don't think Tessa could have but it's possible."

"What's so bad about Jace getting mail from a century where we know no one?" Alec considered. "Okay I can see how that question was a bit of an oxymoron. What does the letter say?" Isabelle handed the letter to her brother and he read it over. "Jonathan Christopher Herondale," Alec said. He looked over at Jace. "This is from Magnus isn't it?"

Jace nodded. "He's the only one from this century who knows my name and could be sending me mail. I was waiting to see if you recognized the handwriting before I could be sure."

"And someone else saw your actual name on this letter?" Alec checked. Jace nodded again. Alec thought for a moment. "We really, _really, _need to get back to our century before we screw up our entire history."

Clary nodded. "That's what we're hoping the letter is actually about but we wanted to be somewhere a little farther away from the Victorian generation before we opened a letter from a warlock no one around knows we know."

The group reached the door to Jace's room and moved inside. Clary didn't think she would ever quite get past how freakishly clean Jace always kept his living quarters.

Alec who was still holding the letter slit it open with a fingernail and proceeded to read the letter out load.

_Dear Mr Herondale, (the blonde one. Not Will)_

_I have been looking into the matter of portal creation. I believe I am missing a few key scientific aspects of the portal creation, and I do not possess the knowledge to figure it out. I suggest you confide in Henry Branwell, to try and work out the scientific aspects of Portal creation. If he can determine that, I believe I will be able to form a Portal to transport you, and your associates back to your own century._

_-Magnus Bane_

Alec looked up as he finished reading. "Well? This is good news then. Magnus can help us if Henry will."

Jace sighed and kicked his feet up on a low table. "Yeah," he said with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "So now all we have to do is convince a scatter brained Victorian inventor to help us create a magical portal to a year that some people now are still convinced won't come because an ancient race didn't finish carving a calendar into a huge chunk of rock. That shouldn't be hard at all."

"People didn't discover the Mayan Calendar until 1932," Clary told him. "And I resent the scatter brained comment. We're talking about my great, great, great, great, granddad here."

"Would it have been better if I had said incredibly bad at keeping his thoughts organized in serious situations?" Jace suggested instead. "My point is that we shouldn't break out the fairy plums just yet."

"I thought fairy plums gave you delusions," Clary said with confusion. "Did you mean Champaign? That's what people normally say."

"Some Downworlders use fairy plums the way humans use alcohol or drugs," Isabelle said. "They enjoy the tingly effects. In small doses it can be kind of fun," she noticed that everyone was looking at her funny. "Not," she hurried to say. "That I have any first hand knowledge of this."

Alec tried to restore order. "Moving back on to the topic of getting help," he said. "I think we should try to tell Henry. If we explain things the right way he might believe us. He might even think it was interesting."

"Well we're from a democracy," CLary said calmly. "How about we vote on it?" No one had a better idea so she continued. "All _not _in favor of talking to Henry put your hands up."

Not one hand was raised.

"Well," Jace said. "I guess the majority rules. Although we are in England which is technically still a monarchy. Maybe we should have a series of trials to determine a dictator."

"NO!"

**A/N: How was this? I know it didn't cover much plot, but we're getting through it. In the next chapter or two I think I'll have The Infernal Devices characters do some serious figuring out about Jace and the others.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: It would be nice, but sadly no. These guys all belong to Cassandra Clare, who depressingly isn't me.**

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. Alec, Isabelle, Clary, and Jace were all a little on edge as they waited to see if Sophie or Tessa showed signs of anything strange. However, nothing happened. Jem and Tessa had gone out a little while afternoon and come back several hours later carrying Will.

Jace had adopted a slight 'I told you so' attitude when he had gotten a good look at the pallor of Will's face, and the way his eyes twitched below the lids. "I called it," he had muttered to Clary. "Opium den." He had been proved unequivocally correct when Will said it straight out at the breakfast table the next morning.

The day was subdued after that. It was rainy and gray outside the windows. Sophie passed in and out of the kitchen with steaming plates of food. Her face was pinched, and she kept on frowning at Jace in particular. Jace met each glare with a pleasant smile. His entire demeanor was light and completely irreverent. To look at him, Jace didn't seem to have a care in the world. Jessamine was slumped tiredly over her tea. Charlotte looked weary and a little bit sick from being awake in the library all night. Henry ate scrambled eggs with one hand while reading the paper with the other. Clary had nothing else to do but sketch. Alec and Isabelle had managed to find a deck of playing cards somewhere, and were playing what looked like twenty-one while using peanuts to bet.

Will described what he had seen and how it could be useful, and Charlotte mused that it would probably be a good plan to tell Woolsey Scott, the head of the Praetor Lupus.

"I'm sure it will be alright Charlotte," Henry said. "Scott doesn't seem the type to get tangled up with Mortmain's sort."

"Perhaps you should be there when I speak with him," said Charlotte. "Nominally you are the head of the Institute-"

"Oh no," Henry said with something akin to horror. "Darling you'll be quite all right without me. You're such a genius where the negotiations are concerned, and I'm simply not. And besides, the invention I'm working on now could shatter that whole clockwork army into pieces if I get my formulas right."

Will regarded Henry from under his eye lids. "Nothing ever disturbs your circles does it Henry?"

Henry blinked. "What?"

Jem opened his mouth to answer but Jace beat him to it. "Archamedies," he said, sounding slightly board. "He was drawing a mathematical diagram in the sand when his city was attacked by Romans. He was so focused that he didn't see the soldier coming up behind him. His very last words were 'Do not disturb my circles.' Of course, he was like, eighty years old by then so his mental function might not have been you know, all there."

"And he was probably never married either," Will said. He gave Jace a slight smile, and tried to smile at Jem as well, but Jem avoided his eyes. Will's face shut down and then he got up and walked out of the room after Charlotte.

"Oh bother," Jessamine said. "Is this going to be one of those days where we all stalk out in a fury? Because I simply haven't got the energy for it." She put her head down on top of her arms which were crossed on the table.

Isabelle looked at her with distaste. Clary had deemed Isabelle's issues with Jessamine to be a case of similar personalities clashing. "Are you sure you can't dredge up the energy to leave? I could pay you for it."

"I would chip into that!" Jace volunteered. He examined Alec's cards. "Alec you should fold," he told him. "There is a five out of six chance that the next card up is going to be over six which based off your current score of eighteen would mean you bust. Isabelle has 15. She wins no matter what,"

Alec looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Jace asked. "Just because I kick ass in battle doesn't mean I can't count cards." He took in Clary's confused expression. "I needed a way to supplement my allowance."

"So you learned how to hustle people at a poker game," Clary inferred. "That makes perfect sense."

Jace grinned. "I thought so. I'll teach you how some time."

"Don't bother," Clary told him, sipping her water. "Luke beat you there eight years ago."

Jace looked like someone had just told him that he had one the lottery several times in a row. "Awesome!" he said. "We are so hitting up Vegas after we get home!"

"You're both under twenty-one which happens to be the legal gambling age," Alec told them both after taking Jace's advice about the game.

Jace shrugged. "That's what fake ID's are for."

"Um..." Henry said. That made Jace, Alec, Clary, and Isabelle aware that Jessamine, Tessa, Will, and Jem were all staring at them. "Can someone please explain to me what I've done wrong?" Henry asked.

Tessa brought her eyes away from the small group and back to Henry. "Nothing dreadful Henry. It's just- I think Charlotte wanted you to come _with _her."

"Then why didn't she say so?" Henry asked mournfully. All of his happiness about inventions and scrambled eggs seamed to vanish. Clary thought that maybe he would have been happier just drawing circles in the sand like Archimedes.

"Women never say what they think," Will said sagely.

Bridget's voice floated towards them;

_"I fear you are poisoned my own pretty boy,_

_I fear you are poisoned my comfort and joy._

_'O yes I am poisoned; mother make my bed soon,_

_There's a pain in my heart and I mean to lie down."_

"I swear that women had a previous career as a death hunter selling tragic ballads down around the Seven Dials," Will said.

"I think I would feel better if she didn't sing about poison right after we've eaten," Jace mused. "it gives me the urge to go and look up more healing runes than I could ever need to know."

Will looked over at Tessa. "Shouldn't you be off putting on your gear? Haven't you got training with the lunatic Lightwoods today?"

Clary could see Isabelle clenching her fists to prevent herself from bursting out with a retort to defend her ancestors.

"Yes, this morning," Tessa said. "But I needn't change clothes. We're just practicing knife throwing."

"How fortunate that I am a crack hand at knife throwing," Will said, getting to his feet and holding out his arm for her. "it'll drive Gideon and Gabriel absolutely mad if I watch the training, and I could do with a bit of madness this morning."

Once the two had left the room, clary looked at Jace. "Now what do we do?"

Jace spread jam over another piece of toast. "Now Clary," he said. "Now we wait for the yelling to begin and be sure to clear the hallways if any bloodthirsty Lightwoods come running with sharp objects."

* * *

Tessa was surprised when Will started leading her away from the training room once hey had left the dinning room. "Will?" she asked in confusion. "Will where are we going? The training room is in the other direction."

"We are investigating," Will said with a crooked grin.

"What do you mean 'investigating'?" Tessa asked, feeling more alarmed by the minute.

Will lead her down the hall that Tessa recognized as the one where most of the bedrooms were located. He pushed open the door to Jace's room and turned back to Tessa. "Honestly Tessa. All of that reading and you've never taken a look at Sherlock Holmes? What do you think investigate means? We are going to snoop into other people's private business for the good of ourselves and others."

Tessa sighed. "Oh for God's sake Will why? Jace and the others are a mystery but they will be away from here soon enough and we have plenty to worry about, so just let them be."

"Tessa we still don't know why they're here in the first place!" Will said. "We don't know how they know each other! We don't even know their last names!" There was a sort of manic glint in his eye that told Tessa it would be quite impossible to convince him to leave. "Don't tell me you're not curious Tess," Will cajoled. "We'll be out of here quickly. I just want a look at some of their things."

Tessa surveyed the room. "If you want a look at how they live then perhaps we ought to have chosen a different room," she observed. "This one looks as though it could belong to a monk."

It was true. This room looked like every other room in the Institute. At a first glance it could have looked as though it had been uninhabited for months. The floors and walls were spotless, and every surface was bare. The bed was made with the way you would expect a bed in a hospital to look. The sheets and bedding were all pulled flat and devoid of wrinkles, and the pillows were plumped and residing in clean white cases.

Will was undeterred and moved to open the closet doors. The only clothes hanging there were the one set of extras that Will had leant him, and the strange set of clothes Jace had been wearing when he and the others had arrived.. On a shelf in the closet was one bag. Will pulled the bag off the shelf, but the objects in it were as impersonal as the rest of the room. It contained a set of gear and a rather large selection of deadly weapons. "Nothing," he muttered, closing the bag and putting the bag back on the shelf.

Tessa had sat down on the edge of the bed. "It can't be normal for any boy to have a room this bare," she said. "It feels so cold and... impersonal. Like a hospital, or- or-"

"A soldiers barracks," Will filled in. "Jace did hint that he had a difficult childhood. Perhaps living like this was a part of it. Living like a soldier."

"Jace also said that he had been living with Alec and Isabelle since he was ten," Tessa pointed out. "Wouldn't this sort of habit have faded after nearly eight years?"

Will shrugged. "Well people do say that the habits we learn when we're young are the ones that are the hardest to break. I'll tell you one thing though," he said. "The one universal hiding place is below a bed." He reached under the bed and drew out a small wooden box.

Tessa sat on the floor across from him to look at the box. It was made out of polished cherry wood, and was held shut by a simple clasp. On the front was a small, barely distinguishable pattern of flying birds. "isn't that?" Tessa sated to ask.

"My family symbol," Will said in a serious tone. "Why would Jace have a box with the Herondale crest on it?"

Tessa felt the inexplicable urge to comfort him despite how awfully he had acted recently. She laid her hand lightly on top of his. "It may just be a pattern of flying birds," she told him. "It may not have anything to do with your family at all."

Will didn't look very comforted and proceeded to open the box. There were only a few objects inside. One was an old, but obviously still sharp dagger with a carved hilt. The next was a tightly bound stack of letters in handwriting Will thought was strangely similar to his own. Their was also one letter that was separate form the others, and looked like it was on more recent paper. Below that was a yellowing piece of paper which looked as though it hade been recently unfolded and then meticulously refolded. At nearly the very bottom was a book that was immediately familiar to both Will and Tessa. It was a copy of _A Tale of two Cities. _It looked old and well worn. After that had been removed, a small metallic object clattered into the bottom of the box. Tessa reached forwards and fished it out.

Then the box was empty. Tessa looked around. Spread out on the floor were the only personal objects that Jace seemed to own. Tessa thought that it was sad that everything a person found important could fit into one small box.

"What was that?" Will asked about the object in Tessa's hand.

She looked down at it. It was a silver ring, the kind Will and Jem both wore, and the same one Jace had put on Clary's hand when they had seen Starkweather. Tessa studied it more carefully and gasped. Around the side was a small engraved pattern of birds in flight.

Will looked at the ring with some shock and immediately slipped his own ring over his finger and held it next to the ring in Tessa's hand. The patterns matched. "Well I guess that explains the box," Will said in a hallow voice.

"He couldn't be related to you could he?" Tessa asked. "It would explain the Herondale seal."

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "I don't have relatives from America Tess." he said with restrained patients. "That would have been something to mention when they showed up. Don't you think?" He didn't wait for her to answer. Instead he instructed; "Look in the front of the book. Sometimes people write their full names there."

Tessa flipped open the book. There was writing on the page, but most of it was faded and illegible. Tessa squinted and just managed to make out six words in handwriting that was nearly identical to Will's. She squinted to make it out. It said:

_With hope at last,_

_-Will Herondale_

**_A/N: _What did you guys think? I thought a good way for Will and Tessa to find out more would be the box of things that Jace had from Stephen Herondale. Any way let me know! If it wasn't good I can re-write it. Review for me! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I am so far from owning these characters that I may as well live on Pluto. Cassandra Clare would be the Sun in this particular situation.**

Will stared at the words written on the page. They were written in handwriting that was undeniably his, but they were words he had never _ever _written before. Besides, even if he _had _written those words in a copy of _A Tale of Two Cities, _it was impossible for them to be so faded, or for the paper they were written on to be so old.

"This isn't possible," he said slowly. "I haven't written any such words in _any _book, and even if I had, how on earth would someone I hadn't even met before this week have them?"

"Will," Tessa said, tugging at his sleeve. She could hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside. "Will we have to leave. I know this is strange-"

"Strange?" Will repeated incredulously. He waved the page at her. "This is beyond strange Tess! He has my signature under a note in my handwriting that I haven't written, in a book that at maximum could only be 18 years old and yet looks as though it could have been inside this box for well over a century!"

"One century and thirty years to be precise," Jace said calmly from the doorway. He had entered soundlessly and stayed to watch what would happen. He had considered a few excuses, but none of them were really viable. Besides, everyone he cared about had agreed to explain what was going on. "Although I can't speak for how long it's been in the box."

Tessa jumped to her feet with a guilty expression on her face. "We were- we were just-"

Jace looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Snooping through my personal possessions?" he suggested. "Or would you prefer spying? Either way it entails the same thing." He pushed off of the door frame where he had been leaning and allowed the door to slam shut. He moved easily over to his bed and flopped back on it carelessly.

Both Tessa and Will were silent for a moment as they tried to make sense of Jace's reaction.

Upon not hearing any movement Jace cracked open an eyelid. When he saw both Brits staring at him he opened his eyes again and sat back up. "What are you waiting for? While you're here you might as well get a look at everything. Let me know what you think of the letters written by my dead father. Oh , and hey! While you're at it, take the time to study my complete family tree!" He flopped back on the bed. "I'm not stopping you."

"Tessa," Will said in a voice of controlled calm. "Go to the training room so Gideon and Gabriel don't come looking for you. I'll come meet you as soon as I've had a chance to talk with Jace."

Jace sighed slightly as he heard the sound of Tessa's feet moving across the floor and out the door. "Does your version of talk involve physical violence? Because I'm going to need at least a ten minute power nap before hand."

"My version of talking involves you giving me an explanation of what in the hottest flames of hell is going on!" Will said forcefully.

"Look at the family tree," Jace said tiredly, pulling the pillow over his head. "It's the folded piece of paper," he described, his voice sounding muffled. "I'll explain more when I hear your exclamations of surprise."

Seeing nothing else to do, Jace unfolded the yellowed piece of parchment. It was entitled, _Herondale Family Tree. _"Why do you have a copy of my family tree?" Will asked immediately.

Jace pushed the pillow off of his head and held up a hand to stop further inquires. The combination of his insomnia and dealing with the time differences in England, plus the added stress of the situation with Mortmain, had left him exhausted, and for lack of a better adjective, cranky. "Explanations to come after exclamations of shock and surprise," he reiterated.

Will glanced back down at the family tree. There was a version of the Herondale family tree on the wall of his childhood home in Wales, so regardless of everything else going on he expected it to look the same. That would have meant that he and Cecily would be at the bottom with their dates of birth. He was shocked to find that instead it showed he and Cecily at almost the top of the paper. His mouth dropped open. The paper showed a date of birth, date of death, and even more disturbingly a line marking marriage to-"

Jace took the harsh gagging sound coming from Will's throat to mean he had found the bit that said he got married and had children. If someone had showed him documentation three months ago that he and Clary would end up married with two children and a whole pack of grandchildren he might have made a sound very similar to that one. "Look at the bottom of the paper before you put to much effort into breathing again. There's no need to go through that process twice."

Will looked down, already partially expecting what he would find. There at the bottom were the words _Jonathan Christopher Herondale. 1991-. _"How-" Will chocked out. "How is this possible?"

Jace sat up slowly to start his explanation. "It's not so incredible from my possession," he said. "To me it's just a record of time passing. To you it's got to be traumatic."

"But what- how?" Will tried to ask. He was having an incredibly hard time getting his head around this single proven piece of proven information.

Jace sighed. "This is going to sound so incredibly clichéd, but I'm from the future. Magnus Bane was trying to send me Clary, Alec, and Isabelle to England for a Clave meeting. Something went wrong. I also happen to be your great, great, great, great, grandson. Take a moment to breath and then come back to me with an actual pronounced question."

There were several minutes of silence before Will cleared his throat. After looking some more at the paper a few specific facts were popping out at him more and more. "I get married to and have kids with _Tessa?"_

"The paper doesn't lie," Jace said. "You marry Tessa and have two kids named James and Lucie. They get married to people and have kids. Their kids have kids and one of those kids has me. You should be happy, not everyone winds up with a descendant as amazingly physically capable, good looking, and intelligent as me."

At that moment Clary walked in. She took one look at the expression on Will's face and made a very accurate assessment of the situation. "You told him didn't you?" she stated to Jace.

"Yup," Jace said shifting sideways on the bed to make room for Clary.

She curled up next to him and leaned her head onto Jace's shoulder. "How long has it been since he stopped breathing?"

"Only about half a minute," Jace said innocently, kissing her on the forehead in hello. "I walked in on Will and Tessa looking through my things. I thought now was as good a time to explain things as any."

Clary nodded and looked over at Will. "You might want to sit down," she suggested. "You just found out some pretty major information about your personal future. You might also want some water, or maybe tea," she looked up at Jace. "Don't the British like tea in times like this?"

"I don't know," Jace said sarcastically. "Let me just go ask one of the other people out of the hundreds we know who have found out in the space of about five minutes that his great, great, great, great, grandson has come back in time to his present. I'll be back in ten minutes."

Clary elbowed him in the stomach. "Shut up," she turned to Will who had sunk down in to an arm chair. "Are you having trouble breathing?" she asked him kindly.

Will shook his head and looked at her more carefully. "You're not-" he started. "You're not related to me too are you?"

Clary shuddered. "Dear God no. The two of us already had to deal with that. I'm a Fairchild, or maybe a Morgenstern, but I'd rather not think about it that way. Either way don't sweat it."

"Alright," Will said nodding.

"Alec and Isabelle are a different story," Jace commented. He re-focused on Will. "Congratulations Billy Boy. You are not only a great, great, great, great, grandfather. You're also a great, great, great, great, granduncle."

Will dropped his head forward onto his hands. "Oh my God. Cecily has children."

"Maybe we could have waited to drop that bombshell," Clary commented to Jace.

The blond shrugged. "I thought it might be better to just drop everything at once. There's not really any point to prolong the inevitable. 'You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming,'" he quoted. "That's a quote by Pablo Neruda."

Clary rolled her eyes. "You know your not the only one who can quote things. Try this one, 'Just because an apple falls one hundred times out of a hundred does not mean it will fall on the hundred and first.'"

Jace grinned crookidly. "_The Death Bringer _by Derek Landy," he acknowledged. "Well done My Lovely Ginger."

Clary looked at him skeptically. "Lovely Ginger?"

"What?" Jace frowned. "No good?"

"Don't ever call me that again."

He smiled again. "Alright Beautiful Red Head. Is that any better."

"That's a little bit better," Clary acknowledged. "Still not really there yet though."

"I'll keep trying," Jace promised.

Clary rolled her eyes. "If you are so determined to give me a nickname why don't you just call me Clare? Or Lyly? My mom used to call me that when I was little."

Will brought his head back up. "You all belong in an insane asylum but nothing else makes anymore sense then your story. So, when you go to the asylum please inform me because I believe I may come with you."

"So you believe us?" Clary checked.

"It seems I have no other option," Will said heavily.

"Excellent!" Jace said, getting to his feet. "I hope that means you'll help us convince Henry to help us get back to our own century. The Magnus Bane you know has agreed to help us if we can locate the schematics for a Portal."

Will nodded mutely.

Clary stood up and took Jace's hand. "I think we should get to the training room. Tessa will probably want to know what's been going on."

"Very true," Jace agreed. "We should also probably get there soon if we want to properly infuriate the Lightwoods today."

"I'm not sure I have the energy right now," Will said. He looked paler than normal, and like he might possibly be going into shock.

Jace walked over to Will and grabbed his shoulder. he pulled him up out of the chair. "Come on William," he cajoled as he led the boy towards the door. "We have an excellent opportunity to raise the blood pressure of one of the Lightwood family. I do it to Alec all the time."

"Alec and Isabelle are Lightwoods?" Will said. He sounded a little bit dizzy.

Jace clapped him on the shoulder. "Yup. Now let's go meet your future brother in law."

Will looked at him with some horror. "Please tell me you mean Gideon."

Clary and Jace exchanged looks that Will read correctly. His eyes filled with disbelief. "My baby sster gets married to and has children with _Gabriel Lightwood!" _

"Um..." Clary said. "Yes?"

"Right," Will said. he took one more wobbily step towards the door before his eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud.

Clary and Jace just stared at him for a few minutes. "Well," Jace said into the silence. "I think that went pretty well don't you?"

**A/N: So what did you think? I'm sorry things weren't incredibly exciting in this chapter, but I was aiming for plot development. I hope you liked the chapter, it's going to be the last one for a little while. I'm going to summer camp for a month and I'm not sure I'll be allowed to use the internet. I will continue it when I get back though! I promise! So don't flay me! Review for me!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: A month of time has not actually changed my entire identity to being Cassandra Clare. Everything I've written is the original property of someone else. I just get to borrow it. 'Cause, you know, I'm not getting paid for this. It would rock if I was though. If I got paid by the word I'd be really freaking rich.**

**Stop reading the disclaimer now. You must have something else to do with your lives. Go read the next bit of the story I write all alone in my bed room.**

Will awoke to a sharp slap across his face. He had to work hard to focus his blurring vision. He could make out a this curtain of black hair and vaguely see three more shapes moving around at the edges of his field of vision.

Isabelle, who had been doing the slapping sat back on her heels and looked over at Jace, Clary, and Alec. She and Alec had been called over by Jace and Clary when Will had first dropped unconscious. "His eyes are open," she informed the others. "I think he's coming out of it."

Jace leaned over to look for himself. "Hmm... No," he decided. "Hit him again. Just in case."

Isabelle shrugged and pulled back her hand but Alec caught it to stop her. "At this point I don't think hitting him is going to help wake him up," he said.

Jace came forward and let his hand crack forward into Will's face. Will jolted back but couldn't quite wake up again yet. The slap had helped though. The burning imprint of Jace's hand had gotten through to his brain.

Will saw a reddish blur as Clary's anxious face materialized close to his. "I think you might have hit him a little hard Jace. After Isabelle that can't have been the best thing for his mental health."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It made me feel better."

"I'm glad my pain benefits you personally," Will managed to say. He struggled up into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. "What happened precisely."

Clary looked at the others. "Do you not remember what we were talking about before you passed out?"

Will's eyes narrowed. "I remember perfectly," he said coolly. "I was wondering how your insane and yet bizarrely true stories resulted in a lump the size of an ostrich egg on my head."

"That would be from the floor," Jace informed him. "Completely not my fault."

"And the black eye?" Will queried.

"Alright yeah," Jace conceded. "That one was me. But in my defense, Isabelle hit you way before I did."

Isabelle huffed indignantly. "Only because you told me to so we could wake him up! Don't you dare blame this one on me!"

Alec rolled his eyes. "The more important question right now is if you're alright after cracking your head on the floor. How many fingers am I holding up?" He brandished his hand at will with two fingers up.

"Two," Will responded. "That doesn't help the throbbing headache centered above my forehead."

"Would you like an _iratze?_" Clary offered, fishing in her dress pocket for a _stele. _

"I'm fine thank you," Will said in a stilted tone of voice. He pulled himself to standing by using the wall and rubbed the back of his head. "This headache is more me trying to figure out how in the hottest possible circles of hell I let my sister ever marry a Lightwood."

"A severe lapse of mental sanity?" Jace suggested. "Ouch! What the Hell?!" That last remark had been in response to Alec and Isabelle having punched him simultaneously in the chest.

Will put his still-pounding head in his hands. Nobody could blame him really. The poor guy had just found out that he had descendants who had traveled back in time and were meeting him in person. Plus his sister got married to someone he highly disliked. Plus, plus, he had just cracked his head on a very hard floor and been slapped across the face repeatedly. That is quite a lot for any seventeen year old to deal with.

"Shut up please," he muttered. "You people are making it very difficult for me to want to help you for any reason."

Alec focused on the particular wording he had used. "So you are actually going to help us get back to your century?"

Will locked eyes with Alec. Two matching sets of piercing blue orbs fixed on each other."Your century is sufficiently far away from my century that you will never be able to bother me again isn't it?"

"Totally!" Isabelle enthused. "We're one hundred and thirty years away from you. You and your friends are like four generations before us!"

"Oh dear god," Will muttered, shaking his head. "For the pure sake of getting you out of my life permanently I'll try to help you I suppose."

"Awesome," Jace said. He clapped him on the shoulder. "How exactly would we go about getting Henry to show us his plans for a Portal?"

"Couldn't Clarissa make one herself what with her rune powers?" Will asked. Now that they were having a conversation that was at least partly familiar to him, his tone had changed to one of almost scientific curiosity.

Clary considered momentarily. "I could definitely try," she said. "If it was just a question of getting to a different location then I could do it no problem, but opening a way to get to a new place in time is a whole other ball of wax. If I mess up well-"

"We would all die a horrible death?" Jace suggested.

"Probably," Clary agreed. "Maybe just evisceration or something like that."

"Well if that's all," Isabelle muttered.

Clary sighed and shot her a half-hearted glare. "I never said it's a good plan Izzy. That's kind of why we need Henry and Magnus. Because that plan is, you know, a bad one."

Will, who had had enough of this conversation, stood up and crossed to the door of the room. No one made any move to stop him so he tugged the door open. He couldn't hear any movement behind him, so he turned back around. "Well?" he asked. "Are the rest of you coming or would you prefer to sit there and ague about how you will remove yourselves from my life permanently?"

"You're not big on family reunions are you?" Jace commented lightly as he walked passed Will and into the hallway. Clary and the others followed him. Jace gestured ahead. "Lead the way to the mad scientist's lab Billy Boy."

* * *

Henry, as it turned out was more than delighted to show them around the lab. In fact, the minute he had heard that Jace and the others were interested in his inventions he had immediately proceeded to give them a detailed description of everything he was working on.

It was actually a little exhausting for everyone except Clary. She was fascinated by the intricate way Henry's inventions were designed. She poured over every line and detail of the blue prints and sketches.

Jace seemed perfectly content to watch Clary while she was so happily enthralled in something she loved. Will had left to find some kind of ice or medicine to use on his head around when Henry had started talking about his fire proofing solve. Isabelle was tapping her fingers impatiently and Alec was nodding and trying to seem interested in what Henry was saying, even though he didn't understand any of it. His roll in the conversation so far had been to try and push it in the direction of Portals, and away from the primitive version of Sensors. It wasn't working very well.

Finally Jace cut into the conversation. "Mr. Branwell," he said politely. "I think Jem mentioned something about you making a device to transport the user from one location to another. I found it fascinating."

"Really?" Henry said delightedly. "Yes, yes the Portal!" he moved over to a locked desk drawer. "Now if only I could remember where I put the key..."

Alec scooped up an ornate key from beneath a pile of loose papers. "Is this it?"

"Thank you," Henry inserted the key and opened the drawer. He pulled out a large chart in neat, inventors hand writing. He cleared the desk with an impatient sweep of his hand and spread the page there so the others could see the plans. He weighted it at the corners to prevent the edges from curling up. "This is the design for my Portal. It would work by opening a cosmic window of sorts..."

They let Henry carry on contentedly. Clary was interested from a mechanics point of view, and Alec was fairly interested in it from a scientific one. Isabelle had returned to finger tapping. Jace used Henry's distraction to pull his cell phone from an inside pocket and take quick, detailed photos of the paper.

About ten minutes later when he felt Henry had reached a lull in his speaking he decided to get the group out of the lab before Isabelle drove a crack through the table with her finger nails. "Thank you very much for indulging our interests Henry," he said with a smile.

Henry looked slightly surprised by the end of the conversation but still smiled as he showed them out.

As soon as the door had closed behind them, Isabelle seemed to sag and deflate. "Thank the Angel," she breathed. "I'm not sure I would be able to take another minute of that."

"I thought it was interesting," Clary said with a shrug.

Alec ignored the two of them and turned to Jace. "Did you get what we needed at least?" he asked.

"Yup," Jace said, popping the P. "It's all on my phone. We can go see Magnus tomorrow."

"Good," Isabelle said fervently. "This corset has been killing me."

Clary nodded. "Isabelle," she said. "We have finally found something we agree on completely."

"Does this mean Alec and I won't need to listen to you two bickering for the duration of our lives?" Jace wondered out loud.

He winced again as he was double punched for the second time in one day.

**Authors Note: Hey all of you guys out there. I'm sorry that this update took such a long time. I was at my summer camp for a month and they wouldn't let me use the internet for anything. Besides, I nearly broke my wrist and typing was hard when I got home. This chapter is a little shorter than the others and I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. The Fic should be finished in the next chapter or so.**

**P.S. Can anyone out there tell me anything about the show _The Vampire Diaries_? A bunch of my friends have been telling me to watch it and I would like some other opinions.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: My name still isn't Cassandra Clare. I think that should probably be pretty obvious by now.**

The night-time came with very few new developments. At least, there weren't many new developments for any of the people not originally from the 18th century. For those who were, the time between early and late was chalk full of events. Tessa managed to thoroughly chastise Will to the point of apologizing to Jem. Jem was more surprised than anything at the apology, but managed to take everything in stride. Charlotte received word from Ragnor Fell about Will's family.

Tessa cornered Clary later for a full status update on what she had missed when Will had made her leave the room to go to her lesson with the Lightwoods. That was how Clary had ended up sitting on a hard chair in Tessa's room late at night as she tried to explain 130 years of family history she only vaguely understood herself to Tessa. Now Tessa was trying to absorb everything and Clary was rediscovering her interest in ceiling plaster.

"But how-" Tessa began. She was about to start one of her custom tirades of questions when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. She looked at Clary. "I'll ask my questions later."

Clary gave a resigned expression. "Can't wait."

Sophie stood on the threshold in her black maid's dress. She looked a bit ruffled. Her hat was askew and her hair was tumbling around her face and shoulders. Her face was incredibly pale and there was a dark spot on her collar. She looked like she might be sick.

"Sophie." Tessa's voice showed that she was surprised and Clary turned and focused on their conversation. "Are you all right?" Tessa asked.

Sophie looked a bit scared. "May I come in, Miss Tessa? Miss Clary?" Sophie had seen the bright red of Clary's hair and guessed that she was inside.

Tessa nodded and held the door open until Sophie was safely inside. She bolted it and sat down on the edge of her bed near Clary.

"Sophie?" Clary asked kindly. "Sophie, what's wrong?"

"It's Miss Jessamine," Sophie said in a rush.

Tessa's eyes narrowed. "What about Jessamine?"

"She... It's just to say, I've seen her..." Sophie broke off. Clary was seriously preparing for her to be sick or something, but Sophie continued. "She's been slipping away in the nights."

"Has she?" Tessa said with mild surprise. "I saw her last night in the corridor dressed as a boy, and looking quite furtive."

Sophie looked relieved. "I've noticed it for days now. Her bed sometimes not slept in at all, mud on her rugs in the mornings when it weren't there the night before. I would have told Miss Branwell, but she's had so awfully much on her mind lately, I just couldn't bear to."

"Why are you telling me?" Tessa asked. "It sounds as if Jessamine's found herself a suitor. I can't say I approve of her behavior, but-" she broke off feeling unsure how to continue.

Clary saw that the other girl was uncomfortable and did her best to ease the situation. "I think what Tessa means is that none of us is really responsible for Jessamine. Besides, there might be some innocent reason..."

"Oh, but miss." Sophie put her hand into her pocket and took out a stiff, cream-colored card. She held it tightly between her fingers like it would vanish if she let go of it. "Tonight I found this in the pocket of her new velvet jacket. You know, the one with the ecru stripe."

"Um... Sophie?" Clary cut in. "No offense or anything, but I really couldn't care less about the exact details of Jessamine's clothes."

Tessa privately agreed with Clary and took the card. She turned it over in her hands and looked down at it more carefully. It was an invitation to a ball.

_**July 20, 1878**_

_**Mr. BENEDICT LIGHTWOOD**_

_**presents his compliments**_

_**to MISS JESSAMINE LOVELACE**_

_**and requests the honor of her company at a masquerade given on Tuesday next,**_

_**the 27th of July. RSVP**_

The invitation went on to give more details like the time and location of the ball.

"Benedict Lightwood?" Clary asked. "Refresh my memory here, but, that would be the bad guy wouldn't it?"

Tess stayed focused on the invitation. it was the writing on the back of the card that made her freeze. it was in casual handwriting:

_My Jessie. My very heart is bursting at the thought of seeing you tomorrow night at the "great affair." However great it may be, I shall have eyes for nothing and no one but you. Do wear the white dress, darling, as you know how I like it- "in gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls," as the poet said. Yours always, N.G._

"Nate," Tessa said numbly. "_Nate _wrote this. And quoted _Tennyson._"

"Nate's the evil brother in this story right?" Clary checked. "Why does every bad situation for our families involve an evil brother? I feel like someone should do something to cosmically stop that."

Sophie ignored Clary's words. "I feared-but I thought it couldn't be. Not after all he did."

"I know my brother's handwriting," Tessa said grimly. "He's planning to meet her tonight at this- this secret ball. Sophie, where is Jessamine? I must speak to her this instant."

Sophie twisted her hands together rapidly. "See, that's the thing-"

"Has she gone already?" Clary asked sharply. "We'll have to get help. Charlotte maybe, or Jace. I don't really see a different option."

"She hasn't gone. She's in her room," Sophie interrupted.

"Does she know that you found this?" Clary asked.

Sophie swallowed visibly. "I- she found me with it in my hand miss. I tried to hide it, but she'd already seen it. She had such a menacing look on her face when she came reaching for it. I couldn't help myself. All of my training with Master Gideon just took over and, well-"

"Well, _what? _Sophie?" Tessa asked. She was half dreading the answer at that point.

"I hit her on the head with a mirror," Sophie said hopelessly. "One of those large silver backed ones, so it was quite heavy. She went down just like a stone Miss. So I... I tied her to the bed and came looking for you."

"Let me see if I have this quite correct," said Tessa after a pause. "Jessamine found you with this invitation in your hand, so you struck her over the head with a mirror and tied her to the bed?"

Sophie nodded.

"Good lord," said Tessa. "Sophie, we're going to need to fetch someone. This ball cannot stay a secret, and Jessamine..."

"Not Mrs. Branwell," Sophie groaned. "She'll sack me. She'll have to."

"Jem or Alec perhaps-" Tessa suggested.

"No!" Sophie's hand flew to the spot of blood on her collar. "I couldn't bear it If he thought I could do such a thing. Master Jem is always so gentle, and I'd hate to involve Master Alec. I barely know him at all."

"That only leaves a few people then," Clary said calmly. "Jace, Isabelle, and Will. Isabelle is a little on the impulsive side, so she might not be the best option."

"Master's Will and Jace," Sophie said, with something akin to loathing. She sighed. "Very well, I suppose I don't care what either of them think of me."

Tessa rose and put on her dressing gown, handing an extra to Clary who was also in her night-clothes. "Look on the bright side Sophie. At least neither of them will be shocked."

"Very true," Clary supported. "I doubt Jessamine will be the first unconscious girl either of them have had to deal with." A thought occurred to her. "Probably won't be the last either."

* * *

Will was shocked though. Jace on the other hand, was not. "_Sophie _did this?" he asked, not for the first time. Jessamine was sprawled across her bed like a picture of Cinderella come to life. "Our Sophie?"

"Yes," Tessa said. "And do stop repeating it."

Jace examined the large bloody bruise on Jessamines forehead. "Well done Sophie," he said in a congratulatory tone. "The hit was really well placed. I give it an 8 out of 10. I deducted two points for the blood on the sheets." He made a clucking sound with his tounge. "Next time use a vase, or a golf club. Greater force to a smaller area. It won't puncture the soft tissue, plus it'll hurt more."

"I think I may be in love with you Sophie," Will informed her, ignoring Jace. "Marriage could be on the cards."

Sophie whimpered.

"Stop it both of you," Clary hissed. "I think you're scarring Sophie more than she already was when this all started."

"What's to be frightened of?" Jace asked. "It looks like Sophie took care of that little issue pretty easily."

Will was having trouble repressing a grin. "Sophie, my dear. Jace is absolutely right. There is nothing to worry about. Many's the time I have wanted to hit Jessamine over the head with something of suitable weight myself. No one could blame you. But do take his advice. Vase or cricket bat next time."

"She's afraid that Charlotte will sack her," Tessa explained.

"For hitting Jessamine?" Jace asked. "Tessa, if this is what it looks like and Jessamine truly is meeting your own evil brother in secret then she's probably betrayed you all anyway. She might want to take her own turn with the mirror," Jace stopped and shrugged. "Well, she might use a cricket bat."

Will jumped in to finish. "Not to mention, what is Benedict Lightwood doing throwing parties that none of us know about? Parties to which Nate is invited? What Sophie did was heroic. Charlotte will thank her."

Sophie lifted her head. "Do you think so?"

"I know it," said Will. He looked at Sophie across the room with a warm expression for a moment. Sophie looked away first, but for a moment there had been no sign of dislike in her expression.

Clary drew a stele from her pocket and drew two runes quickly on Jessamine's skin. "An _iratze _and a sleep now rune. She should be out until at least tomorrow morning."

"The question," Will said. "Is what do we do now."

"We must tell Charlotte-" Tessa started.

"No," Will cut in. "We must not."

Tessa looked at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"Three reasons," Jace said, lying comfortably back in an armchair. "One, because Charlotte would have to tell the Clave. Clave members would tell Benedict Lightwood. Lightwood wouldn't say a word if he was forewarned. Reason number two is that this party started an hour ago. We don't know when Nate will show up to find Jessamine. If he doesn't see her he might just leave. He's the best connection to Mortmain you people have. And third because we don't have time. If we take the time to tell Charlotte both of the first two reasons will happen."

"What do you think we should do?" Clary asked.

Jace's mouth quircked into a smile. "Who feels like going to a party?" he asked, looking from Clary, to Will, to Tessa."

Will smiled back tiredly and then gave an even brighter grin to Tessa. "Miss Gray, would you be amenable to attending a ball with me?"

"Do you remember the last party we went to?" Tessa asked.

"You guys too?" Clary asked.

"Magnus's party was not that bad," Jace protested.

"My best friend got turned into a rat, kidnapped by a vampire, ending the night with all three of us flying of the edge of a building on a bike," Clary said. "How much has to happen for a party to qualify as bad?"

Tessa sighed. "I'll change into Jessamine and go in her place. it is a plan that makes sense." She turned to Sophie. "Do you know of the dress Nate spoke of? A white of Jessamine's"

Sophie nodded.

"Get it brushed and ready to be worn, get a party dress ready for Clary as well. You will have to do my hair as well Sophie. Are you calm enough?"

"Yes miss." Sophie got up and scurried from the room to open the wardrobe.

Tessa turned to Will. "Will, has it crossed your mind that Mortmain might be there?"

The smile vanished from Will's face immediately. "You will go nowhere near him if he is."

"You cannot tell me what to do," Tessa returned.

Jace looked hopefully over at Clary. She caught his expression. "Don't even try to go there," she warned.

"Yeah," Jace said resignedly. "I didn't think so."

"It's a masked ball so blending in isn't a problem," Will said casually. "Our last Christmas party was themed a long the lines of Venetian Carnevale." He smirked. "Tell her Sophie."

"It's true," Sophie said without looking away from her brushing tray. "Miss Clary, Miss Tessa, you let them take care of Mortmain, you hear? It's dangerous otherwise. And you'll be all the way in Chiswick!"

Clary picked up the invitation. "You two need to stay separate from each other once we get to the ball. I don't get the sense that Nate is expecting Jessamine to have company."

"I get no sense of anything from that note at all," said Jace, getting to his feet as Will did. "Except that your brother can quote some of Tennyson's worse poetry. How quickly can you girls be ready?"

"Half an hour," said Sophie without looking up from the dresses.

"Jace and I will meet you in the courtyard in half an hour then," said Will. "I'll wake Cyril. And be prepared to swoon at our finery."

**Authors Note: So? What do you guys think? I hope I did that chapter pretty well. I wanted to have them end up at the party, and I had more requests for Magnus, so I think I might have two more chapters to go on this fic. Review for me!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Well let's see. Am I named Cassandra Clare? No. Do I have red hair? No. Did I originally write these amazing and wonderful books? Again, no. Do I own any of these amazing characters including the amazingly attractive Herondale men? Unfortunately not. Do I get paid for this? HELL no. I think that covers everything that it's supposed to. Let me know if I forgot anything.**

Clary had to hand it to the 19th century, the clothing was gorgeous. Complicated, yes. Difficult to put on, also yes. Painful, hell yeah. But, it sure looked pretty. Clary just found herself wishing that it was easier to breath in.

Clary had watched Tessa change into Jessamine with some fascination. It was a little bizarre to see. Thick brown hair changed into straight corn silk locks which Sophie had styled in complicated pearl clips. Gray eyes changed to big light blue ones, and Tessa's figure shrunk. However, Clary felt the same way looking at Tessa that she did when she was looking through a glamor. It was like looking through a layer of paint and seeing the original picture underneath. She could still see Tessa beneath the mask of Jessamine.

Clary had been given a party dress made out of violet colored silk. Sophie had styled her hair into a complicated knot at the op of her head with a few curls tumbling down. Sophie had managed to find a half-mask to hide her face for the party.

The two girls met Will and Jace both looking very dapper in the courtyard. The suite Jace had borrowed from Will fit him eerily well. The dark jacket and white shirt set off the gold in his complexion to it's best advantage, and the fact that Jace was grinning from ear to ear made his face appear all the better. Will's own suite was better at setting off his eyes and hair.

"Ah," Will said as he saw Tessa come down the stairs. "I see now why your brother quoted that execrable poetry. You are meant to _be _Maud aren't you? 'Queen rose of the rose bud garden of girls'?"

"You know," Tessa said as Will helped her into the carraige. "I don't much care for that poem either."

Jace scoffed. "No one with any sense of good writing would"

"Jessamine adores it," Will commented as Jace shut the door behind him.

"Case and point."

"I am not Jessamine," Tessa said forcefully, interrupting the two boys.

Will looked at her levelly. His expression was quizzical and admiring. "No," he said. "No, even though you are the perfect picture of Jessamine, I can see Tessa through it somehow-as if, if I were to scrape away a layer of paint, there would be my Tessa underneath."

"I am not your Tessa either."

There was a long moment of silence. Jace interrupted it. "Well," he said. "That was awkward."

"What is it like being Jessamine?" Clary asked, trying to redirect the conversation. "Do you know what she thinks and feels?"

Tessa paused a moment to look out the window. She could see Temple Bar in the distance. "I tried. Upstairs in her bedroom. But there's something wrong. I-I couldn't feel anything from her.

"Well," Jace said. "I guess it would be hard to mess with someone's brains if they have no brains to mess with."

Tessa glared at him. It was a bit of a relief to be able to glare at someone who wasn't Will. Though, at times Jace seemed so similar that it could be hard to separate the two. Now that she knew that Jace and Will were related, it was very hard to miss some of the similarities. Their body language and particular brand of precise sarcasm and cruelty matched in so many aspects. A stomach lurching thought occurred to Tessa then. If Jace was a descendant of Will's, then who did Will marry in the future. She shoved the thought aside for the time being.

"Be flippant if you like, but there is something wrong with Jessamine. Trying to touch her mind is like trying to touch a nest of snakes, or a poisonous cloud. I can feel a little of her emotions. A great deal of rage, and longing, and bitterness. But I cannot pick out any of the individual thoughts among them. It is like trying to hold water."

"That's curious," Will said. "Have you ever come across anything like it before?"

Tessa shook her head. "It concerns me. I am afraid Nate will expect me to know something that I will not know."

"We will both be there Tessa," Jace assured calmly. "You and Clary will both be much safer than anyone who tries too hurt you."

Will nodded to Jace. "He's right. We will both be there the entire evening even if you don't see us. Remember that."

"I'm not worried about one of us getting hurt," Clary said. "I'm more worried that something is going to blow up or catch fire."

"Look on the bright side," Jace said. "At least Dead Boy isn't around to get turned into a rodent this time."

Will stared at the conversation. "I don't tell people this often in a bid to avoid hypocrisy, but the two of you need a larger sense of normalcy in your lives."

Clary sighed and tried to sit more comfortably be leaning against Jace. "I know."

"There is another reason that you didn't want to wake Charlotte," Tessa said.

Will narrowed his pale blue eyes at her. "And what is that?"

"Because you do not yet know if this is simply foolish flirting on Jessamine's part, or something deeper and darker. A true connection to my brother and Mortmain. And you know that if it is the second, it will break Charlotte's heart."

A muscle jumped in the corner of his mouth. "And what do I care if it does? If she's foolish enough to attach herself to Jessamine-"

"You care," Jace said to cut him off. "You're not heartless as much as you seem to want to pretend. That was obvious the minute you looked at Cecily." He straightened up and looked more carefully at Will. "You had another sister to didn't you?"

Will glared at him. "What makes you think I have- had, another sister?" "I have your family tree Billy Boy," Jace reminded him. "It includes that kind of detail. Besides, I heard you talk about her."

Will waited a few moments before speaking. "Ella," he said slowly. "Two years older than I. And Cecily, three years younger. My sisters."

"What was Ella like?" Clary asked. "And Cecily? What were they both like."

"Ella was protective like a mother. She would have done anything for me," said Will. "And Cecily was a little mad creature. She was nine when I left, but she was like- like Cathy from _Wuthering Heights. _She wasn't afraid of anythingand demanded everything. She could fight like a devil and swear like a Billingsgate fishwife." his voice showed amusement and a kind of love that sounded foreign coming from him.

The conversation continued with Will explaining more the situation that had made Gabriel Lightwood hate him so much. It basically centered around Will stealing a diary from Gabriel's sister Titania and reading it out load at a Christmas party. He had then proceeded to explain that he had broken Gabriel's arm when the other boy had attempted to retrieve the diary by strangling him.

Jace had listened and clapped at that point of the story.

Tessa had proceeded to ask weather or not one of her parents could have been a warlock and the other one could have been a Shadowhunter. Jace and Will had very succinctly shot down that proposition.

"Have you ever thought of transforming yourself into one of your parents?" Clary asked. "Your mother or father? It would let you access their memories, wouldn't it."

"I have thought of it. Of course I have. But I have nothing of my father's or mother's," Tessa said. "Everything that was packed away in my trunks for the voyage was discarded by the dark sisters."

"What about your angel necklace?" Will asked. "It belonged to your mother didn't it."

Tessa shook her head. "I- I tried. I could reach nothing of her in it. It has been mine for so long, I think, that whatever it was that made it hers has evaporated like water."

"That makes sense," Jace agreed. "Inherited objects become the property of the person that inherits them not the person who died in the eyes of the law. Reason says it might work the same way for mental residue." He stopped a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Do thoughts actually leave a residue? I've always imagined that they might, but I've never had anyone I could ask."

"I have always envisioned books as a sort of repository for thoughts," Tessa told him.

Will's eyes were bright in the shadows. "Perhaps you are a clockwork girl. Perhaps Mortmain's warlock father John Shade built you, and now Mortmain seeks the secret of how to create such a perfect facsimile of life when all he can build are hideous monstrosities. Perhaps all that beats beneath your chest is a heart made out of metal."

Tessa took in a sharp breath. "No," she said bitingly. "You forget, I remember my childhood. Mechanical creatures do not change or growNor would that explain my ability."

Clary, who had been watching Will intently, spoke. "I think he knows," she said. "I think that Will here only wanted to see if he could convince _you._"

It was hard to tell in the darkness of the carriage, but Clary thought she could see some blood rush into Will's face at her comment. Jace narrowed his eyes at the situation. It was something that Clary had noticed he did when he was analyzing a situation. As if by squinting he would actually be able to see lines connecting one thing to another.

Tessa gave Jace a level look before turning it on Will. "I am not the one who has no heart."

"At least we all have brains and courage," Jace said with a grin as he referenced _The Wizard of Oz_. "Well, him maybe not so much on the brains."

Before Will could say anything to even begin to rebuke that comment, the carriage jerked to a halt. They had arrived.

**Author's Note: So? What did you guys think of that conversation? I'm sorry that this chapter is a little bit shorter than some of the others, but this is where Chapter 12 of the book ends and it makes it easier for me to write if I start new sections were the original book does. Besides, I had a longer version ready to go that I had to retype twice because my computer kept deleting it. After the third time I just gave up and wrote a shorter version. Review for me!**

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I am a 14 year old girl from Connecticut. I am not a red head. Basically, I am not Cassandra Clare. Therefore you can conclude that I don't own the rights to any of these characters. Nor am I making any money for any of this. (if you want to send some let me know)**

Will quickly vanished to inside of the huge manor and melted away into the shadows. Tessa nervously slipped forward by herself as Nate wouldn't expect Jessamine to be accompanied. Jace stepped out of the carriage before Clary and held out his hand to help her down.

Clary grinned up at him. "Nice nobility. Did it hurt?" she teased.

"What?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "I can do nobility. It was actually a strict course when I was growing up. Valentine wanted me to be able to move through higher society."

They entered the manor a few moments after Tessa and walked inside. Clary enjoyed the blast of warm air and removed her hand from Jace's arm to rub some warmth back into her fingers. Jace examined the entrance hall and waited before the hooded figure checking invitations had moved away to check on something else.

"Uh," Clary said. "Where exactly do we go?

Jace looked around and narrowed his eyes. His sight had always been strangely sensitive to light thanks to the extra shot of angel blood. He also honed in his ears to the faint sound of classical music. "This way," he said, pulling Clary towards the faint glow he could see around the side of the house.

They moved through a huge garden that reminded Jace of the one at the New York institute. It calmed his nerves a little at the prospect of having to walk into a situation he knew little to nothing about.

Clary gestured to a pretty silvery white flower that really closely resembled a Lilly. "That's pretty," she said. "It looks like the midnight flower you showed me on my birthday, only bigger."

Jace smiled a bit at the memory and leaned over. He snapped off one of the blossoms and tucked it behind Clary's ear. "There we go," he said. "Perfect."

Clary beamed and went up on her tip toes to kiss him. Jace's hands dropped to around her waist, supporting most of her weight. Clary's mouth was warm and soft below his and he only moved back with extreme regret.

"I can't believe that I as a teenaged guy am about to say this," he said, dropping his forhead to rest against hers. "But we have to go or my ancestors might end up horribly killed, and that would mean that I will cease to exist."

Clary smiled a little. "That would be bad."

"Yes, yes it would," he agreed, dropping one more kiss on her mouth before turning away and folding Clary's fingers in his. "Let's go to a party that officially happened nearly one hundred and thirty years before we were born."

"I'm jumping for joy on the inside," Clary informed him flatly. She shifted uncomfortably as they walked. "Corsets are the single worst invention in the history of time."

"I am perfectly happy to take your word for it," Jace said as they stepped inside the hall. Jace's skin prickled uncomfortably at the presence of so many demons in one space but he did his best to ignore it and appear relaxed. He mentally cataloged the different types of demons as well as he could. A few were unfamiliar so he simply labeled them things like, **Weird Goblin Thing, **and **Strange Purple Blob. **He assumed he didn't know the type of demon because they had simple gone extinct sometime before he was born.

Jace saw both the Lightwood boys standing around the room and fought a powerful urge to wave mockingly. This particular trip was about blending in and making sure no one killed either of his great times four grandparents. He quickly located Tessa dancing with her brother in Jessamine's form, and found Will a few moments later standing in the shadows.

'What do we do now?" Clary said quietly.

Jace grinned. "Now we dance," he pulled her forward onto the dance floor and spun Clary around by the hand before getting ready to start dancing.

"Um... Jace," Clary said quietly as other couples waltzed passed. "I don't actually know how to do this. The last time anyone waltzed with me was Luke when I was ten."

"Don't worry," Jace said calmly. "The beauty of waltzing is that only one person actually needs to know what they're doing. It's all in the leading. Put your other hand on my shoulder." Clary did, having to reach up a little bit to do it. "Good," Jace said quietly. Now just relax, and move how I move." With that they were off.

Jace moved them easily through the steps of the dance, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of holding Clary this close to him. He had been given basic instruction on old fashioned dancing from Valentine, who viewed it the same way he had viewed music. "A gentleman must have talents in all manner of things." he had said. Mayrese Lightwood had completed the lessons.

He took advantage of his height to watch the room over the top of Clary's head. He watched as Tessa managed to shake off her brother by asking him to get her a drink. Jace assumed she had pretended she might faint as Nathaniel Gray escorted her to a seat first.

"Do you see anything interesting?" Clary asked. Her view of the room was blocked by Jace's rather muscular, and not at all transparent chest.

Jace frowned and considered for a moment. "Well, Benedict Lightwood is looking a little more comfortable with a Medusa look alike than any reasonable person has any right to be. I just found out that a certain type of demon has spikes for eyes which cannot be comfortable. My ancestor would make an excellent stalker judging by his ability to blend into drapery, and Tessa is talking to a faerie that happens to be a rather fetching shade of lavender."

The previously mentioned faerie looked suddenly at Jace and locked eyes with him. Jace nodded to her pleasantly and spun Clary around one more time guiding their dancing through the other couples over towards her. "It's time for a multi-generation meeting," he murmured to Clary.

He and Clary took seats at the table with Tessa. "Hello Tessa," he greeted. "Purple Lady."

The fairy named Hyacinth examined Jace and Clary. "Who might the two of you be? I sense this is not your chosen time and place."

"You're right," Jace acknowledged. "My chosen time and place happens to be Poland, around dawn. The sunrises are lovely."

Clary saw the whole conversation sliding gown hill and decided that it was time to intervene. "My name is Clary Fray this is Jace."

"I prefer Baron VonAwesome."

Hyacinth narrowed her eyes. "Outer thorns hide inner roses," she said cryptically. "I'll leave you all to talk. A good looking young man happens to be staring this way. You and he could both pass for faerie lords," that part was obviously directed to Jace.

As soon as the others had acknowledged where Will was, he turned quickly away on the pretext of watching the dancing. "What did the faerie woman want."

"To acknowledge my stunning good looks," Jace cut in.

"I don't know," Tessa said in exasperation. "To tell me I'm not a changeling apparently."

"Well that's good," Will said. "Process of elimination I suppose. Not the fastest method by any means, but none the less valid. And what news from your brother?"

"He's a bigger lying evil bastard than you originally thought he was," Jace said offhandedly, tapping his fingers against the edge of the table. He had managed to hear nearly all the important parts of the conversation by concentrating a little. "Jessamine's been spying for him. She thinks Nate's in love with her. I would attribute that to a direct case of idiocy colliding at extremely high speeds with a large amount of vanity."

"You can be vain sometimes," Clary pointed out.

"Very true," Jace acknowledged but I happen to be intelligent enough to disregard it at my convenience. Jessamine, clearly, was not."

"How did you know?" Tessa asked with wide eyes. "You were on the other side of the room."

Jace shrugged. "Chalk it up to a large infusion of Essence of Angel."

Will looked unsurprised over the whole conversation. "Do _you _think he is in love with her?"

"I think Nate cares only about himself," said Tessa. "There's worse too. Benedict Lightwood is working for Mortmain. That is why he is scheming to get the Institute. So the Magister can have it. And have _me. _Nate knows all about it, of course he doesn't care. Tessa looked down at her gloved hands. "Oh Nate," she said quietly. "Aunt Harriet used to call him her blue eyed boy."

"I expect that was probably before he killed her," Will said. "And there he is again," he added in a mutter.

Clary tapped Jace's hand. "We should probably move away."

Jace shrugged. "He doesn't know us. Besides, I feel the urge to meet a slimy, evil, jerk."

"I suggest not calling him that to his face," Clary hissed as Nate came closer.

"Fizzy Lemonade," Nate said, thrusting the glass into Tessa's hand. "Now you were saying, you did hide the book in my sister's room..."

Tessa nodded. "Yes, just as you told me too. She suspects nothing of course. Nate, do you know what the Magister plans to do with your sister."

"I've told you before she isn't my sister," Nate said in a clipped voice. "And I've no idea what he plans to do with her, nor any interest. _My _plans are all for my- _our _future together. I should hope that you are as dedicated.

"I'm doing the best that I can Nate. Don't you believe me?" Tessa asked, feigning a whining tone of voice.

Nate immediately smoothed over his face. It was done quite smoothly, but Jace still caught it. "Of course darling. Are you feeling better?" Nate asked. "Shall we dance again? Of course," Nate chuckled. "They do say a gentleman should dance only the first set or two with his wife."

"Oh," Jace said quietly as Clary's jaw practically dropped. "I honestly did not see that one coming."

Nate snapped out of his facade immediately and narrowed his eyes at them both. "Who are you?" he asked sharply.

Jace smiled pleasantly up at him. "Oh please," he said. "Don't let us disturb your conversation."

Nate narrowed his eyes at Jace. "Who are you?"

Jace made the spur of the moment decision to try and rattle him a bit. "Jonathan Christopher Herondale," he said, standing to shake Nate's hand. "This is Clary Fray. I believe you know one of my family members, Will? He honestly doesn't like you very much." Jace stepped a little closer to Nate. "In all honesty, I can't say that the conversation you just had gave me any reason to disagree with him."

Nate stepped backwards quickly. "Enjoy your night with your lovely friends, _Miss Gray,_" he spat at Tessa. "Mr. Herondale, I suggest that you protect yourself, and everyone you care about."

He gave Clary a withering look full of malice, but Clary met and held his gaze until he had left.

"Well," she said. "That threat was chilling and yet, completely unaffective."

"Tessa," it was Will, evolving effortlessly into the space next to her. He looked flushed like he had been running. "I see your brother got the note."

"Ah." Things clicked into place for Tessa. "You sent it."

"I did." Looking incredibly pleased with himself Will sat down and finished off the remainder of Tessa's lemonade. "I had to get him out of here. And we should probably follow suite, before he realizes the note is false and returns even angrier than when he left." He looked over at Jace. "Well done on the cruelty front, but I don't think it was a fantastic idea to make someone with those sorts of connections hate you."

Clary sighed. "Lot's of powerful people hate Jace," she said. "It doesn't ever seem to really effect him."

"It really doesn't," Jace agreed.

Will stiffened. "Tess- Tessa? Are you all right?"

"Why do you ask?" Tessa asked. Jace had to agree with Will, Tessa wasn't looking to good.

"Look," Will said, catching a piece of her hair and showing it to her. Her hair had reverted to brown. Tessa had turned back into Tessa.

"Oh god," Tessa covered her face a bit with her hand. "How long?-"

"Not long. You were Jessamine when I sat down," Will said standing up.

Jace moved to action as well. He had spied Magnus across the room and sought to seize the moment. "Go," he told Will. "Get Tessa out of here. Clary and I will follow in a moment."

Will nodded and caught hold of Tessa's hand. "Come along. Quickly." He began to stride quickly across the room. Tessa was shivering from the change, but still followed.

Clary looked to Jace. "What's going on Jace? Why aren't we getting the hell out of here."

Jace stood up and walked around the table, pulling Clary to her feet. "I saw a way to get us the hell out of this century. Magnus was invited by the Lightwood's."

Clary's eyes widened with realization. "DO you have your phone? Do you think we can get him to send us back tonight?"

Jace grinned and pulled his phone out from some pocket in his clothing. "Let's go find out."

**Authors Note: So how was it? This chapter was a little longer than the last few. I hope you guys liked it. Tell me if the dialogue was believable for each character. I also did a little more fluff in this chapter. I felt that there was a shortage. Review for me or I will set an angry cat on you! (I can do it. I have one). Review review review!**

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	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm just borrowing them for a while to have some fun.**

Magnus noticed Jace weaving through the crowd in his direction, his pale golden coloring was hard to miss after all, but pretended to ignore him. Magnus was a firm believer in the theory that ignoring something will occasionally make it go away. That belief might require re-evaluation.

The boy was using one arm to part the other people streaming through the room, and had one arm wrapped tightly around the waist of a small, red haired girl, so she wouldn't be run over or swept away by the rest of the crowd. While the girl appreciated the gesture, and appeared to have no complaints about being pressed against Jace, his arm probably wasn't making it any easier to breath.

They reached Magnus fairly quickly. Which was most likely a high relief to the girls ribs and lungs and Jace tapped twice on the warlocks shoulder.

"What could any of you possibly want?" Magnus asked with annoyance as he turned around. To face them and groaned. "You again. If you want me to open a para dimensional time fold for you and your little friends then you are going to have to wait until I have had a good nights sleep and you can give me something to follow."

Jace slid his phone from out of his belt and tossed it to Magnus. "Everything you need to know is on that."

Magnus caught the phone gingerly and then examined it skeptically. "What is this? It appears to be locked somehow."

"Oh for the love of Raziel," Jace muttered. He grabbed the phone back and quickly typed in the numbers 8, 12, 7. Then he handed it back to Magnus in the photo section. Magnus found that particular code was slightly strange. An important date perhaps? "Just slide your finger across the screen to change the image." Jace told him.

Magnus narrowed his eyes at the screen and slid his finger experimentally across it. "Fascinating."

"Yeah," The red head murmured trying to shift Jace's arm around her waste. "Wanna know what else is fascinating? Breathing. It's, that thing where you inhale and your lungs expand and then oxygen makes it in to your blood stream and eventually it gets to your brain and you don't pass out?"

Jace immediately loosened his arm considerably and instead moved his hand to the small of her back to trace little patterns."Sorry. I didn't mean to do that," he apologized. Magnus took in every movement. Obviously in their century showing affection in public was much less frowned upon.

She took a relieved breath. "It's all right. Just a few bruises. Someone needs to get me some clothing that doesn't involve corsets."

"You can change as soon as we get back to the Institute," Jace promised.

"Who are you?" Magnus asked Clary to interrupt them.

Clary held out a hand wincing slightly at the movement. "I'm Clary Fray, or Fairchild. Whichever you like. Nice to meet you when you aren't way to glittery to look at.

"I will still need some time to examine these diagrams, and I believe you may need to locate some ancestors. I can't imagine William or Tessa stayed behind given such a lovely opportunity to spy on Nathaniel Gray. Speaking of, have you told them yet?"

Jace shifted his weight to his other foot. A habit that was apparently genetic as Will used it as well in place of any other nervous habit. It maintained a sense of bordeom and unimportance while still relieving tension. "They know Clary is a Fairchild, Alec and Izzy are Lightwoods and that my last name is Herondale. They know where and when we come from but outside of that Will and Tessa don't know anything."

Magnus quirked an eyebrow. "I presume you also neglected to tell Will and Tessa that they get married and produce children as well."

"Will passed out cold when we told him Cecily marries a Lightwood," Clary told Magnus. "Telling those two that they end up together would probably have resulted in an extended coma."

"Besides," Jace added. "I'm sure that all of this will get back to the others at some point, to Jem if no one else. I think it would be best if we could keep the story as... uncomplicated as possible."

Magnus nodded. All family issues were complicated, ones that spanned a grand total of six generations while skipping the four in between were sure to be like huge balls of yarn. Fuzzy, allergenic, and difficult to untangle. Not that he had much of anything to compare to. His family had died and been killed too many years ago for anyone to count. Unless they were really, really determined.

"Where are your ancestors at this moment?" Magnus asked. "It would be best for all of you to clear the premises as soon as possible before you can be killed by angry demons." He pointed at Clary. "You are the optimum size for an appetizer should a demon decide they're feeling peckish."

Clary rolled her eyes. "People need to stop making short jokes. I know I'm a midget, we can move on now."

"Will took Tessa out through the french doors to the balcony," Jace said. "She came looking like Jessamine but the change shifted out by it's self. She looked sick."

Magnus groaned and let his head drop backwards. "I don't supposed William and Tessa managed to _not _drink any of the lemonade did they?"

Jace and Clary exchanged a glance. "I know Tessa definitely did," said Clary. "I saw Nate bring her some. I'm not sure if Will had any though."

"He did," Jace confirmed, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Magnus. "Not very much but he definitely had some. Why?"

Magnus turned and gestured for the other two to follow him. "It has a pinch of warlock powder in it that lowers your inhibitions and concentration. For a mentally asserted illusion such as Tessa's change, any mind effecting drug would have detrimental effects. Not to mention the effects to do with two very in love people who are trying very hard not to admit it to each other or themselves. With their mental guards lowered some very bad things could happen."

"You are not lying," Jace agreed.

The three made it to the large french doors and Magnus threw them open. They were immediately greeted with the sight of Will with his arms wrapped tightly around Tessa. Her hair had come free of the pins which were sitting in a large pile on the ground which Magnus guessed was Will's work. Tessa's head was tucked below Will's chin. The look on the boys face was so completely peaceful, his expression so tender that Magnus felt guilty at having to interrupt. He would have given almost anything to just turn around and walk back into the party. Jace and Clary both looked like they were in agreement with the thought.

"So there you two are," Magnus said finally. The two sprang apart and looked towards the door. "Let me guess," Magnus continued, exhaling a cloud of tobacco smoke from his newly lit cigar. "You had the lemonade."

Will and Tessa glanced at each other. "I- yes. Nate brought me some," Tessa said finally.

"Apparently it has warlock powder in it," Jace said, sitting on one of the balcony railings. "According to our resident warlock, it lowers your inhibitions and makes you do stuff you otherwise, you know, wouldn't do unless you thought you were about to be tossed into the most fiery pits of hell. One day to live type stuff."

"Oh," said Will. And then: "Oh." He turned away and put his hands on the balustrade. Tessa's face was beginning to turn bright red.

"Gracious that's a lot of bosom you're showing," Magnus went on blithely, gesturing to Tessa with the tip of his cigar. "_Tout le monde sur le balcon, _as they say in the French."

Clary leaned back against Jace's chest and Magnus saw his arms go around her automatically. "I don't speak French." she whispered.

"In this case you really don't need to." Jace whispered. "He's basically referring to the fact that they were kissing on a balcony."

"Oh."

"Let her alone," Will said to Magnus. The warlock couldn't see his face, but his head was down. "She didn't know what she was drinking."

"This is Jessamine's dress, and she's half my size," Tessa snapped.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "So you changed back into yourself when the lemonade took effect did you?"

Tessa scowled. "What are you doing here yourself, if I might ask?" she snapped. "How did you know _we _were here?"

"Um," Clary waved a little. "Hello? We kind of came here with you guys and watched you walk onto the balcony. Once Magnus told us about the lemonade, it really wasn't that hard to find you."

"Besides," Jace sighed. "Us and parties really do not work out well. The first party we went to together started with Clary's best friend being turned into a rat, had a middle with us breaking into a hotel filled with vampires and ended with us falling two stories on a flying motor bike into a concrete parking space."

"Who on earth throws these parties were everything goes so wrong for you?" Magnus wondered.

"You," Jace told him bluntly.

"Nonsense," Magnus said dismissively. "Anyway, all of you should make yourselves scarce."

"What do you care if we get out or not?" It was Will with his head still down on the cold marble railing. Magnus couldn't imagine that that was very comfortable, but it also didn't seem to be the primary issue.

"You owe me," Magnus said a steely voice. "I mean to collect." It wasn't true of course. Magnus had no desire to press for any kind of favor from a 17 year old boy who looked so broken and depressed. Magnus may have been sardonic and sarcastic, but he _was not _cruel.

Will turned towards him. He looked like he was in the middle of a bad bout of stomach flu. "I should have known that was it."

"Ah well," Jace said airily, holding Clary a little more securely. "You can choose your friends but not your unlikely saviors. He stood up with his arms still around Clary. "Can we go now before something goes wrong?"

"Why are you two so determined to leave quickly?" Tessa demanded.

"We've already been here for two hours," Clary said. "For us at a party that's like, and hour and a half too long for nothing to go wrong."

Will scowled to Magnus. "Get us out of here."

Magnus snapped his fingers and a shower of blue sparks fell around the group. A gust of wind and a strange crackling energy washed over them. Will gasped and Jace cursed under his breath. Then they were all standing on a stone path near the ornamental pond. The Lightwood manor behind them.

'There," Magnus said in a bored tone. "That wasn't so difficult was it?"

Will regarded him with absolutely no gratitude. "Magic," he muttered.

Magnus rather thought Will was being overly grumpy. He threw up his hands as they still crackled with blue sparks. "And just what do you think your protective runes are? _Not _magic

"Really," Jace said sardonically. "And here I've been carving them into my skin for six years and I just thought they were for decoration."

Magnus almost shuddered. Hearing both Jace and will speak in quick succession to each other made it almost impossible to not mark out the similarities in the way they spoke. If you disregarded Will's accent they had the same vocal shifts, the same phrasing, and the same ability to use the most efficient method of mockery available.

"Shush," Tessa said, sounding bone tired. "Stop spouting off. I think someone's coming."

A large group of demons came around the corner and several things happened at once. Tessa covered her mouth so she wouldn't scream. Magnus raised his hand as blue fire encircled his fingers.

Will pointed at a blue skinned demon. "_You."_

The demon blinked. "Er- I don't recall- That is, I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you?"

"_Liar!" _Will shouted charging forward into the dark after the demon.

"Will! _Will!" _Tessa called after him, but he was gone."

Jace squinted a bit into the inky blackness. "I can help him," he said.

Magnus opened his mouth to tell him to go, but Jace had his eyes fixed on Clary. Magnus got the impression that Jace would stay without a second thought if Clary asked him to. Instead Clary nodded to him. "Go." She leaned up on her tip toes and kissed Jace quickly on the cheek. "Don't die."

Jace nodded and quickly followed Will. He moved so quickly that Magnus couldn't even follow his individual movements. It was as though he had simply moved from the path into thin air.

Magnus turned to adress the demons and hurredly gathered his composure. "Ah, well you know," he said. "Disagreement over a woman. It happens."

The buzzing sound the demons were making increased. "Gambling debt?" Magnus suggested. He snapped his fingers and a flame burst up in his palm, bathing the garden in it's light. "I suggest you not concern yourselves with it gentlemen. Festivities and merriment await you inside. Much more pleasant than what will await you if you linger."

The not so subtle threat worked.

Tessa spun around. "Quickly we have to go after them-"

Clary stopped her. "Will and Jace are trained shadowhunters. Will can move fast and Jace can move faster. We'll never catch them."

"I won't use _magic _either," Magnus said, mimicking Will's disgusted tone. "Will's were he has to be doing what he has to do. His purpose is killing demons. Jace's purpose is no different and he will be there to keep William alive."

"Do you, not like him?" Tessa asked tentatively.

Magnus took the question seriously. "I do like him. I like Jace to strangely enough though rather despite myself." He said. "On first glance they both appear rather pretty pieces of the same poisoned apple, but it is something that is possible to see around. There are souls underneath all of the bravado. And they are both really _alive. _When Will or Jace actually feels something it is as bright and sharp as lightning." They were similar in other ways to Magnus had noticed. They both seemed to burn through their lives, and all consuming sort of fire that enveloped everything in it's path. A fire that could be all too easily snuffed out under the right circumsatnces.

"We all feel," Tessa said.

"Not like that," Magnus said with sympathy. "I have lived a long time and I know. And you Tessa, will find that feelings fade too, the longer you live. The oldest warlock I've met had been alive nearly 1000 years and told me he could not remember what love felt like, or hate. He told me the only thing he still felt was fear- fear of death. 'The undiscovered country from whose burn no traveler returns.'"

"I think that would be awful," said Clary. "Jace tried to live without love for nearly eight years, and I think it could have killed him eventually. It was like he was running on nothing but blank energy."

Magnus shrugged, as he tried to ignore a painful tug on his heart strings. "We who are immortal

are tied to live by a golden chain that we dare not sever for fear of what lies beyond the drop. Now come along and let's not begrudge the Herondale boys their moral duties."

They all started off along the path with the girls hurrying to keep up with Magnus.

"He behaved as if he knew that demon," Tessa said.

"Maybe he tried to kill it before," Clary suggested as an excuse. She knew about Will's curse from Jace of course. "They do get away sometimes."

"But how will they get back to the institute?" Tessa cried.

"They're clever boys, they'll find a way. I'm more concerned with getting you girls back to the Institute before someone notices you're missing and there's a devil of a row." They'd reached the front gate by then were the carriage waited. Cyril was resting peacefully with his hat pulled over his eyes.

Tessa continued to glare mutinously at him as he swung the door to the carriage open and offered his hand to help Clary in. The tiny red head took his help gratefully but Tessa still looked angry. "How did you know we didn't have Charlotte's permission to be here tonight?" she asked.

"Do me more credit than that darling," he said, and gave her a bright grin. Tessa reluctantly gave him her hand with a sigh. Magnus smiled more widely at having gotten his way. "Now," he said. "I'll take you both back to the Institute and on the way you can tell me all about everything."

**A/N: So? How was this? I hope you guys liked it and it covered more time than some of my other chapters have. Review for me of I will unleash the Herondale boys. No, wait, scratch that. It isn't any type of punishment. Review review review!**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxoxoxxoxox oxoxoxxooxxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxo**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: No. I can still honestly say that I am not Cassandra Clare, and therefore I do not own any of these characters**

Will spared a moment of his attention to feel annoyed by the fact that Jace had not only followed him in his pursuit of the blue-skinned demon, but he was easily keeping up. Will could hear the other boy's evenly paced breathing and light foot steps. Will was basically operating on blind anger and determination in his pursuit of the demon. Jace was following the impulse to insure that his ancestor didn't end up a tasty demon entrée.

The two boys approached a circular path that looped around a huge ornamental fountain with plants and statues of famous Greek philosophers. Will nabbed Jace's attention and jerked his chin to the path that went around to the right. Will wanted to go around on the left because he himself was left handed. He didn't realize until he saw Jace roll his eyes in annoyance that the other boy was left handed as well. Will was still wrapping his head around the idea that that particular trait was likely one Jace had inherited from him.

Regardless of the slight annoyance, Jace went in the direction Will had indicated as the dark haired boy crept around the fountain from the other side. It turned out that Jace came up on the demon from behind while Will would confront it head on. Jace just hoped that Will wouldn't-

"Greetings you blueberry hell spawn!" Will shouted. "I need to have a bit of a word with you!"

Jace rolled his eyes from his current location behind a large, powder blue hydrangea. So much for the let's-creep-up-on-this-demon-really-quietly-so-we- don't-have-quite-such-a-huge-risk-of-dying-in-some -very-painful-way, plan.

The demon made a strangled hissing noise. "I have nothing to discuss with you little angle boy." Each and every word was filled with malice. Jace peered out to see the demon. It's face had contorted. It's mouth was open and twisted, and filled with sharp, jagged, teeth. It's eyes were glowing like red hot coals. If looks could kill the fatality rate of being a Shadowhunter would be a lot higher.

Will glared. "This is your last chance to talk demon."

The demon made a hissing, cackling sound. Jace guessed that it was probably the demonic version of derisive laughter. "Then I suppose this conversation is at an end little Shadowhunter. Unless you have anything else going for you..."

He never finished the sentence. Will had leaped forward and grabbed the demon around it's scaly neck from the front. The demon reared backwards like a cobra and lashed at Will with it's teeth. Jace decided to take that as the signal to join in the fun. Instead of coming in from the side as Will had expected, Jace gad taken a running leap straight into the air to land lightly on top of the demon's back. He shifted his body weight to compensate for the drop in the demons height. As you might imagine, the demon's spine had crumpled forward at the sudden and unexpected weight of a 140 Lb Shadowhunter.

Jace dropped so he was lying flat against the demons back, locking his arms around the demon's neck. Under the combined weight of the two boys, the demon crumpled forwards, writhing and spitting huge blobs of greenish-yellow poison. Jace flinched involuntarily as blob of the vile stuff flew past just inches from his face. Will had become pinned under the combined weight of Jace and the demon, and was mostly focusing on being able to breath.

The demon writhed and twisted. Rolling all the way over. This released Will but nearly crushed Jace. Jace hung on to the thrashing demon with one arm and reached to the seraph blade at his waist. "Raphael," he chocked out. The blade sprang to life, casting a dim glow across the grass.

"No!" Will panted out. "Don't kill it. I need it alive.'

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jace said incredulously. "Then what the hell was the point of chasing this thing?"

The demon, noticing the momentary lapse in focus took the opportunity to shake it's self free, lashing out with it's spiked tale. The spikes caught Jace in the chest and he fell back. Will tried to leap after it, but the demon bit viscously into his arm, one of it's teeth breaking off in his arm. Then, the blue demon vanished into the darkened Lightwood gardens, knocking over a statue of Homer as it went.

Will collapsed back next to Jace, trying to control his breathing. "Well that's simply rude," he said. "Demons truly have no respect for the classics anymore. Why, there was a time when a demon would at least take a moment to discuss the works of Ovid and enjoy some hors devours before he tried to bite your head off." Will waited a moment for an answer before he began to feel concerned.

"Jace? Are you quite alright?"

"Just give me a moment," Jace said in a tight, controlled voice. He rolled over very slowly.

Will squinted and dug into his pocket for a witch light. It flared to life in his palm and Will sucked in a sharp breath. Jace's shirt was torn open in three long tears across the chest and he could see blood leaking onto the fabric. "Hold still," Will told him. "I'll draw you an _iratze._"

"No, don't," Jace said sharply. "Just don't touch me for a moment. His eyes were shut tightly, and Will noted with some alarm that the other boy's skin seemed to be glowing faintly. His skin had always looked slightly golden, but now it looked like it had actually been backlight.

Will shook this off and reached towards Jace's arm with his _stele. _As soon as his skin came into contact with Jace's, a sharp jolt ran through his system. It didn't feel unlike how it had felt when he had touched one of Henry's strange electric devices. The device had shot white electric sparks everywhere, shocking everyone and lighting several things on fire.

Jace smiled grimly. "Told you not to touch me. But I can understand why you couldn't resist. I am stunningly gorgeous after all. Though I must say it's a little awkward considering your my great-great-great-grandfather." He opened his eyes which had just stopped glowing and sat up wincing and pulled his dinner shirt over his head to examine the cuts. Blood was leaking from them at a rate that was almost definitely not healthy. He braced himself on his right arm and used his left hand to draw the healing rune directly above his heart. he figured the scars there were bad enough that another one would hardly make a difference.

"What happened?" Will asked, eyeing the huge, disfigured scar directly over Jace's heart.

Jace flopped back in the grass and waited for the _iratze _to do it's work. "Clary stabbed me with a huge angelic sword to save my life."

Will frowned. "That seems like a bit of an oxymoron."

"It makes more sense if you were there when it happened." Jace felt the skin on his chest knit back together and sat up, pulling his ruined shirt back on over his chest. He looked over at Will. "So, if you didn't want to kill that demon, why go charging off after it?"

"That was the demon who cursed me," Will said simply. "I was hoping I could get something of it so Magnus could summon it to lift my curse."

"Well then," Jace said, gesturing at the demon tooth that was still embedded in Will's arm. "Looks like we can count this mission a success. Are we going to see Magnus now or wait until tomorrow?"

Will leaped up with a renewed, and slightly manic sense of purpose. "Now's as good a time as any!"

They left the garden just as rain began to arrive.

That was how Magnus found his reading time interrupted by the two boys crashing into Camille's sitting room despite all of Archer's protests. Magnus eventually just waved a hand. "Let them in Archer."

Archer left, slamming the door behind him. Jace staggered in and collapsed into one of the arm chairs with a hand to his chest. Ever since he had been stabbed, _iratze's _used on chest injuries were very minimally effective. The best the one he had been able to use had done was slow the leek of blood. The hard run through the rain hadn't really helped matters.

Will half staggered and half stalked over to the fire place where he leaned against the mantel. "Magnus! You won't believe-"

"Shh," said Magnus, his book still open on his knees. "Listen to this,

_I am tired of tears and laughter,_

_And men that laugh and weep_

_of what may come hereafter_

_For men that sow to reap:_

_I am weary of days and hours,_

_Blown buds of barren flowers,_

_Desires and dreams and powers_

_And everything but sleep."_

"Swinburne," Jace said, with his eyes still closed. "Enjoyable for some people but I always found it sentimental and overrated."

"You don't know what it is to be immortal." Magnus tossed the book aside and sat up.

"You don't know what it is to have everything you thought was real ripped away form you in a matter of moments and then be dragged through a never ending war without reprieve." Jace replied neutrally.

"A fair point," Magnus acknowledged before turning to Will. "So what is it you want?"

Will pulled up his sleeve to reveal the tooth in his bloodied forearm.

"What the-" Magnus began.

"Demon tooth," Will said. "jace and I chased that blasted blue demon all around Chiswick, but it got away from us, not before it bit me though. it left this tooth in me. You can use it right? To summon the demon?" He took hold of the tooth and yanked it free. More blood leaked from the gash and splattered to the ground.

"Camille's carpet." Magnus protested.

'It's blood. She ought to be thrilled," Will said dismissively.

Jace groaned and propped himself up against the arm of the chair. "Let's hope she enjoys my blood on her chair then. It is my blood after all, so it's bound to do nothing but improve the place."

"Are you all right?" Magnus asked, looking from one boy to the other. "You both seem to be bleeding a great deal. Haven't either of you a stele on your person somewhere? A healing rune-"

"Special circumstances," Jace gritted out. "Lately healing runes used on me for this particular type of injury have been a stunning level of ineffective."

Will waved his arm, dismissing this. "I don't care about runes. I care about this." Will dropped the bloody tooth in Magnus's hand. "find the demon for me, I know you can do it."

Magnus glanced down at the tooth with some distaste. "I most likely can but..."

The manic light that had been shining from Will's face flickered. "But?"

"But not tonight," said Magnus. "It may take me a few days, and I have other pressing matters on my conscious. You'll have to be patient."

Will took a ragged breath. 'I can't be patient. not after tonight. You don't understand-" He staggered then and caught himself on the mantel. Alarmed, Magnus rose from the sofa.

"Are you all right?"

The color was coming and going from Will's face in uneven splotches. The collar of his shirt was dark with sweat. "I don't know-," he gasped. "The tooth. It may have been poisonous..." His voice trailed off. he slid forward as his eyes rolled up in his head. With an epithet of surprise Magnus caught Will before he could hit the ground and, hoisting the boy in his arms he delivered him to the sofa. He performed a quick healing spell to purge the poison and seal the gash.

Jace rolled his eyes. "Great. Billy boy's going to be unconscious for Angel knows how long." He flopped back and shifted a cushion to get comfortable. "If you're in a healing mood, do you think you could seal these gashes so I don't have to wait for all the blood to congeal all over my shirt?"

* * *

Meanwhile at the Institute, Clary, Tessa, and Charlotte had spent several hours uncovering ugly truth's about Jessamine. The conversation went very badly, as there was a firm block in her mind, and Jessamine was olding on to the stubborn belief that she was the one true love of Nathaniel Gray. Jessamine was also thoroughly terrified by brother Enoch who was standing by.

They found that Jessamine had told Nate everything that she knew about their plans when they questioned her with the Soul Sword. They were also able to uncover that something was off with Benedict Lightwood. The only truly helpful thing they were told was that Nate believed that Tessa was half demon, and half Shadowhunter.

Jessamine also firmly believed that Mortmain was in Idris, which the others were all convinced couldn't be possible.

* * *

Jace came to feeling very fuzzy. He appeared to be viewing a very strange scene, and he also seemed to be looking at it upside down. What he was looking at upside down was Magnus talking with Camille Belcourt.

Jace rolled over off the couch and stood in a movement he wished had been smoother, but whatever healing spell Magnus had used seemed to be affecting his fine motor skills. He appraised Camille quickly. "I see the lady of the house has returned."

"Quite," Magnus agreed.

"Delightful," Will commented. Jace wondered if he meant it was delightful to see Camille, or delightful that the painkilling spell had worked.

Camille looked Jace up and down. "Delightful indeed," she said. "Who might you be Golden Boy?" She asked Jace.

"Spoken for and not your type so don't bother looking at me like you want to eat me though you're hardly the first. I'll kill you before you can. I'm Will's cousin Jace."

"We must go," said Magnus squeezing Will's arm with meaning pressure.

Will blinked at him. "Go where?"

"Don't worry about that right now my love."

Jace blinked, trying to understand what was going on for a moment before giving up with a shake of the head. "Clearly I've missed something."

Will had much the same reaction. "Pardon? I- where's my coat?"

"Ruined with blood," said Magnus. "Archer disposed of it." He nodded towards Camille. "Will and Jace have been hunting demons all night. So brave."

Camille wore an expression of amazement and annoyance.

"I am brave," Will said, looking pleased with himself. The painkillers had largely dilated his pupils, and his eyes looked very dark.

"I prefer to think of myself as heroic personally," Jace said. "Though heroes often die in horrible ways, so maybe that's not really a good comparison to make."

Magnus smiled. "You are very brave," Magnus said before Kissing Will. It was hardly a dramatic kiss, but Will still flailed his arms quite a bit. When they broke apart, Will and Camille both looked stunned.

Jace just shrugged and muttered. "I guess that explains you falling for Alec."

He guided Will quickly from the room while Magnus and Camille exchanged Icy words. When they left Will asked, "Did you just kiss me?"

Magnus shot a quick glance at Jace. "No."

"I thought-"

"On occasion the aftereffects of the painkilling spells can result in hallucinations of the most bizarre sort." Magnus explained.

"How peculiar," Will said. He looked back at Camille's house. Magnus could see the window of the drawing room. The curtains were drawn tight. "What are we going to do now? About summoning the demon? Have we somewhere to go?"

Magnus nodded. "I've a friend to stop in with. You two go along back to the Institute and I'll get to work on your blasted demon. _And _the portal too. I'll send messages when I know anything.

Will nodded slowly then looked up at the black sky. "The stars," he said. "I have never seen them so bright. The wind has blown off the fog I think."

He began to move off along the lane but Jace hesitated a moment. "Somehow I don't think it's the stars that have changed," he mused. Magnus found himself strangely in agreement with the blonde. "Good bye Magnus," Jace said moving away.

As he walked, Magnus heard his voice reciting a snatch of poetry.

"_Hear the sledges with the bells silver bells_

_oh what a world of merriment their melody fortells_

_how they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, in the icy air of night_

_and all the stars that over sprinkle_

_all the heavens seem to tinkle with a crystalline delight_

**A/N: What di you guys think? I was trying to cover a lot of story in this one chapter, and I think I did a good job, but if you guys have suggestions I would love to hear them. The poem at the end is called _The bells _by Robert Frost.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Still don't own these guys. Let's just put it that way.**

The next morning, Jace reluctantly hauled himself out of bed at the exact same time he would have gotten up after a full night of sleep. Unfortunately, he had not had a full night of sleep, he had gotten a grand total of four hours. Jace wondered for the millionth time why he always woke up at the exact same time sleep or no sleep. He guessed it was probably some sort of scientific crap about biological clocks and REM patterns.

He padded out of his room and down the stairs with his eyes still half shut. He entered the dinning room and acknowledged that Jem was already there with a grunt and a nod of his head as he sat. He tried to locate the coffee by smell before remembering that there wasn't any, sighing, and pouring a cup of tea.

"Watch out it's-" Jem tried to warn him but stopped when Jace lifted the cup and drained it in three swallows. "Hot," he finished.

Jace put his cup down and refilled it, adding sugar, and swallowing more slowly this time, apparently still not caring about the scalding temperature. "That did almost nothing to wake me up," Jace muttered.

"You must have had an awfully difficult night," Jem observed. He had inspected Jace with his large, silver eyes almost as soon as the blonde boy had come in. His actions and demeanor were familiar to Jem; the pale blue shadows below his eyes, the ruffles mess of hair, even the dried blood stains on the cuffs of his shirt tugged at Jem's memory. His actions were so like Will that it was nearly impossible to believe.

"Not the most difficult I've ever had," Jace said. "Not the easiest either, but I guess you can't have everything." He buttered a piece of toast and took a large bite. "Apparently the new definition of everything is any amount of sleep exceeding six hours."

Jem was surprised. "What on earth happened?"

Jace shook his head. "Way too early for that Jem, sorry. Let's wait until everyone else is down here. By then I might be more awake and there might be other people to answer questions."

Jem bit his lip, not wanting to let it go but not really seeing another option. Instead he decided to change the subject. "I've gotten to talk with Alexander recently."

"Did you two bond over a mutual propensity for telling Will and I to be careful?" Jace asked. Jem possess that same aura Alec did of a self contained energy.

"That 'mutual propensity,' as you call it seems to be one of the few things keeping both you and Will in whole pieces," Jem observed calmly.

"And here I was thinking it was my ability to charm demons with my angelically stunning good lucks," Jace returned, sarcasm returning with wakefulness. "I know Alec's being careful keeps me alive. It keeps Izzy alive as well, that's why Alec doesn't generally kill, he spots us and checks all the angles. He is generally quite skilled in the category of watching our backs."

Jem heard the honest caring Jace had for Alec in those words. "He's your _parbatai _is he not?"

"Has been for five years," Jace said, deftly slicing an apple into pieces. "I lived with Alec and Isabelle's parents for two years before that."

Jem frowned. That would mean Jace hadn't lived with a parent since he was ten year old. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your biological parents?"

Jace sighed and appraised Jem. _What the hell, _he decided. _I've already told two people here that I'm from another century. How bad could it go for me to tell him what happened to two people no one remembers in my century. _"My father died in a raid when my mother was eight months pregnant with me. She slit her wrists when she found out. The man who pretended to be my father cut me out of her stomach. He faked his own rather violent demise when I was ten. Then I went to live with the others."

The two boys heard the soft sound of pattering feet enter the dinning room. Jem saw that it was Clary. She looked like she hadn't slept particularly well either. She sat in the chair next to Jace and gave a smile to both boys. "Good morning."

"Good morning Clary," Jem replied with a smile of his own. Clary reminded him so much of Charlotte. She had the same kind of genuine warmth that was nearly impossible not to return.

Jace slipped the fingers of his right hand through Clary's left. Jem's eyes narrowed in on the action. Shadowhunters had different social protocol, but it was still unusual for a gentleman to openly hold hands with a lady. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty."

Clary smiled up at him. "I still woke up on my own, and I didn't sleep nearly long enough for it to qualify as beauty."

Jace reached out and brushed a dark red lock of hair out from behind Clary's ear. He wound it around his finger a few times before tucking the curl back in place. "I disagree."

Jem placed his focus on his eggs. He felt somehow that he was intruding on a private moment. The awkwardness was short lived as they were soon joined by most of the other occupants of the Institute.

Charlotte, Tessa, and Clary gave a quick summary of what had gone on at the Institute while Jace and Will had been with Magnus. Henry was still stuck on the idea that Jessamine had been a traitor.

"Jessamine is not a watch Henry," Charlotte said with a distant tone to her voice. "Perhaps I should simply parcel up the Institute with a bow and give it to benedict Lightwood. This is the second time we have had a spy under our roof and not known about it until significant damage was done. Clearly I am incompetent."

"That would be difficult to wrap," Jace commented. "Imagine how much paper you would need."

"If Benedict Lightwood is working for Mortmain, he cannot be allowed to have custody of the Institute," Tessa said. "In fact, that ball he threw last night ought to be enough to disqualify him."

Jem considered everything. What the others had seen the other night was sincerely damning evidence. "The problem will be proving it," he said. "Benedict will deny everything, and it will be his word against yours-and with you being a Downworlder, and Clary and Jace being highly unknown by the Clave-"

"There's Will." said Charlotte, she frowned. "Speaking of, where is Will?"

"Sleeping in probably," Clary said. She looked at Jace. "You two got back later than Tessa and I did, didn't you?"

"Much later," Jace affirmed.

Jem sighed. "As for Will being a witness, well everyone thinks Will is a lunatic as it is-"

"Ah," said Will from the doorway, "having your annual everyone-thinks-Will-is-a-lunatic meeting, are you?"

"It's biannual," Jem corrected. "And no, it's not that meeting."

"The Jace-is-completely-insane-meeting is biannual too," Alec commented. "he turned to Isabelle. "We should probably tell mom and dad that that's coming up next time we see them."

Jem saw Will's eyes search out Tessa's. "They know about Jessamine?"

Tessa nodded. "Yes, they know about Jessamine. She was questioned with the Mortal Sword and taken to the silent city. Right now we're having a very important meeting about what to do next, and it's dreadfully important. Charlotte's very upset."

Charlotte looked at her in puzzlement.

"Well, Tessa's right you _are_," Isabelle said diplomatically over her plate of fruit and bacon. "And you were asking for Will-"

"And here I am," said Will. He threw himself down into a chair near Jem. Jem saw that one of his arms had been bandaged, though his sleeve had been pulled down his arm so that it covered most of it. Jem felt a flash of concern that Will had been injured, but he appeared to be functional, so Jem put it out of his mind for the moment.

Isabelle glared at him. "It's rude to interrupt you know."

"Glad to hear Jessamine's in the Silent City." Will continued, feigning obliviousness to Isabelle's comment. "Best place for her. What's the next step?"

"_That's _the meeting we we're trying to have," Jem said.

"Who knows she's there?" Jace said diplomatically. Will looked irritated, as though he had been planning to say that same thing, and had been cut off.

Charlotte shifted forward. "Just us," she said. "And Brother Enoch, but he's agreed not to inform the Clave for another day or so. Until we decide what to do. Which reminds me," she looked from Jace, to Clary, to Tessa, to Will. "I shall have some choice words for you. What were you thinking haring off after benedict Lightwood?"

"There was no time to lose," said Will. "By the time we'd have roused you, and gotten you to agree to the plan, Nathaniel could have been and gone. And you can't say it was a dreadful idea. We've learned a great deal about Nathaniel Gray, and Benedict Lightwood-"

"Neither of whom are Mortmain."

Jace traced a pattern absently on the back of Clary's hand. "Mortmain is like a spider in the middle of a web, the more we learn, the more we know how far his reach goes. Before last night we had no clue he was connected to Lightwood; now we know that the man is his puppet." He finally looked up from Clary's fingers. "Now if I were you, I'd report all of this to the Clave. See what benedict spills under the Mortal Sword. Of course," he added. "I am generally in all respects better than most people, so really, your call."

Charlotte shook her head. "No, I-I don't think we can do that."

Will tilted his head back. "Why not? As far as strategies go that one was reasonably sound."

"Jessamine said it was what Mortmain wanted us to do," Clary recollected. "She was under the Mortal Sword so she can't have been lying."

"But she could have been wrong," Jace pointed out. "Mortmain could have guessed this would happen and have had Nate plant the thought in her head. She would have been convinced it was the truth."

"Do you think he would have thought ahead like that?" Henry asked.

"Assuredly," said Will. "The man is a strategist." He pointed from Jace to himself. "Like us."

"So you think we should go to the Clave?" Jem said. From everything he had heard, that seemed to be the most logical conclusion.

"Hell No!" Will and Jace said at the same time. "We'll be right fools if it is the truth," Will finished.

Charlotte threw up her hands. "But you both said-"

"I think you have to look at possible consequences," Alec broke in. He seemed to have caught on to Jace's line of thought. "If you're wrong and you go to the Clave then you've done what Mortmain wants. You all still have a few days before your deadline right? Going to the clave early does nothing. Try using the time to investigate." Jem remembered what Jace had said about how Alec was always monitoring consequences.

"And how do you propose to investigate?" Tessa inquired.

Alec met her eyes at nearly the exact same moment Will's did. Two identical bright blues. Jem held back a shudder, the similarity in physical resemblance there was eerie. "The problem with questioning Jessamine is that even when forced to tell the truth there's a limit to what she knows." Will said. "We do now have a connection to your brother. He still trusts Jessamine. If she summons him to a meeting, then we should be able to capture him there."

"Jessamine would never agree to do it," said Charlotte. "Not now-"

Jace gave her a slightly dismissive look. "You _are _stressed out aren't you. We just need Tessa to star in her recurring role as Jessamine Lovelace, a traitorous young lady of fashion."

Jem's mind ran through the scenario in his head. Nathaniel was surely not enough of an idiot to walk in to a meeting of that sort unprepared. If something went wrong and Nate found it was actually Tessa- "That sounds dangerous," he said in a subdued voice. "For Tessa"

Tessa turned to him with big gray eyes, but was cut off by Will before she could speak. "Tessa is fearless, and there will be little danger to her. We will arrange an easy ambush place. The Silent Brothers can torture him until he gives up the information we need."

"Torture?" said Jem. Will was not generally that ruthless. "This is Tessa's brother-"

"Torture him," said Tessa. "I give you my full permission."

Charlotte looked at her with shock. "You can't mean that."

"I think she can," Clary put in. "When we came here we were supposed to be going to a meeting about how to hunt and kill my brother."

"It's easier to make that call when they're certified scum bags," Isabelle observed.

"Dig through his mind if you must," Tessa said. There is more to this for me than there is for you. For you this is about the Institute and the safety of Shadowhunters. I care about those things too. But Nate is working with Mortmain who wants to use me for god knows what. Mortmain may know what I am. Nate told Jessamine my father was a demon and my mother was a Shadowhunter-"

Jace sat up straight. "That's impossible. That combination would only produce something stillborn."

"then maybe it was a lie," Tessa said. "Like the lie about mortmain being in Idris. That doesn't mean Mortmain doesn't know the truth. I must know what I am if nothing else, I believe it is the key to why he wants me."

Jem saw that it was clearly time to concede. "Very well," he said. "Will, how do you propose we lure him to a meeting? Don't you think he knows Jessamine's handwriting? isn't it likely they have some secret signal between them?"

"Jessamine must be convinced to help us," Will said.

"Please don't suggest we torture her," Jem said irritably. "She has already told us all she can."

"No," Jace said. he had the same narrow eyed look of concentration Will used when seeing the lines of a plan take shape. She didn't tell you pet names, or codes, or meeting places they might have used."

Will nodded. It was as though he and Jace were too people looking at the same picture. "This is Jessamine's last chance to get leniency from the Clave. To be forgiven. Even if Charlotte keeps the Institute, Jessamine's fate will be left to the Consul and the Inquisitor. And they will not be kind. If she does this for us it could mean her life."

"I am not sure she cares about her life," Tessa said softly.

Jace turned to her, fixing her with bright gold eyes. They looked like liquid gold, always shifting, changing, and unreadable. "Everyone cares. Everyone wants to live." Will looked fleetingly at Jem in that moment, and Jem looked purposefully away.

Jace looked back down to where his fingers were still woven with Clary's. "It's human nature."

**A/N: Tell me what you thought! I think the chapter is pretty good, but I'm prejudice 'cause I wrote it. Review!**

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	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Yeah, still no. I don't own them.**

After Jem and Tessa had left to speak with Jessamine in the Silent City, Charlotte retired to her study for a while but kept the door open. It was something she had begun to do long ago when small children first began living under her supervision. It allowed her to better keep track of the goings on in the Institute. She felt the need to be sure things were run smoothly even more with new people under her roof.

While Will, Jem, Tessa, and Clary had been in Yorkshire Charlotte had tried to talk to Alec and Isabelle. Alec had been polite but vague and he always seemed perpetually worried about something. Having met Jace and talked to Isabelle, Charlotte supposed he had good reason. Isabelle was surprisingly like Jessamine in her opinionated mannerism. A few times when talking with her, Charlotte had had extremely disconcerting flashes of recognition. She had even found herself comparing the girl to Gabriel Lightwood on one occasion. Come to think of it, both siblings shared similar characteristics with the Lightwood brothers. Charlotte shook of the thought. Perhaps they were distant cousins.

Charlotte tried to return to the papers she was reading through but it was essentially hopeless. She had barely even started when she heard two sets of feet approaching. One was more graceful and muffled, the other was a clearly smaller person who wasn't walking quite as carefully. "What happened with Will last night?" asked a soft voice. Charlotte recognized it as Clary's.

"He found the demon he was looking for and as soon as we'd fought it he took off to Magnus's house," that voice clearly belonged to Jace. He was keeping his voice muted. Charlotte perked up her ears and tried her best to hear the conversation. "-said he'd try to get us back home, and that he was working to help Will." Charlotte resisted the urge to curse in frustration. She had missed something.

"What about you?" Clary asked. "I saw the blood on your shirt. Are you all right?"

Jace sighed. "I got clawed up a little. The scar reopened." He cut off Clary's have uttered exclamation. "It's fine," he assured. "Magnus sealed it up with magic." Charlotte heard the rustling of fabric and managed to squint through the gap in her door. She saw hat Jace had wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm fine. I promise. I would tell you if something was seriously wrong."

"As long as you're alright," Clary said, her voice sounded tinged with anxiety. "Did Magnus give you any type of time frame on how long it would take to get the Portal up and running?"

"Are you getting worried about your mother?" Jace asked.

"Worried about what she'll do to me for disappearing again without telling her. I think she's pretty much going to kill me."

There was another rustle of fabric as Jace wrapped his other arm around Clary's shoulders. "If she tries I promise to step in front of you until she calms down," Jace promised. Charlotte was able to see that at least half of his mouth had turned up in to a smirk "I bet Luke will too after we explain all of this."

"Oh yeah," Charlotte could practically hear Clary's eyes rolling even though she couldn't see it. "I'm sure that'll go well. Sorry we were late for the conference guys. We got lost and ended up in the wrong century. Oh by the way, do you still have coffee?"

Charlotte heard Jace give a long, drawn out breath. "I could really go for a cup of coffee right now." There was a pause, "Maybe we could get Magnus to open the portal to the first day of the conference. Mayrese and your mom would have no reason to kill any of us. Most importantly me."

"Don't make me hit you," Clary warned. "We should probably go meet up with Alec and Izzy. They're going to be wondering where we got to."

Charlotte listened as Clary and Jace's footsteps moved up the hall and away from her office. She sat back in exhaustion. What on Earth had that been about? What could the two of them possibly mean about being in the wrong century? Why did Will need the help of a warlock like Magnus Bane. In short, what in the world had been going on with the residents of the Institute and how was she so woefully out of touch with everything?

* * *

Several hours later Tessa joined the others in the library after Sophie had helped her change in to boy's clothes. Clary and Isabelle were both trying very hard to hold down jealousy. Both of them were nearly dying to ditch the corsets and change back into jeans.

Henry was holding a small oblong device made out of brass in his hand, gesturing wildly. Clary was squinting at it trying to understand. Alec had adopted the expression people use when trying to appear interested in something they hadn't a hope of actually understanding which in this case was very similar to the expression Jem was using. Alec was staring blankly at a space on a bookshelf below a large window. Jace and Will had taken on similar expressions of vaguely amused boredom. Charlotte just looked hopeless.

"This," Henry was saying, "is what I have been working on. For just this occasion. It is specifically calibrated to function as a weapon against clockwork assassins."

"As dull as Nate gray is," Will said. "His head is not actually filled with gears Henry. He's human."

"In the loosest possible sense of the term," Jace added. "Most human beings are at least semi decent."

"That's true," Clary agreed. "All the evil people we know are experimentally part demon."

Henry moved through his own mental monologue regardless of what the others had said. "Nathaniel Gray may bring one of those creatures with him. We don't know he'll be there unaccompanied. If nothing else, that clockwork coachman of Mortmain's-"

"I think that Henry is right," said Tessa from the doorway. They all whirled to look at her. Clary and Isabelle looked slightly jealous. Jem flushed and gave her a crooked smile, and Alec spared her a glance before looking back at a book he had apparently been reading instead of listening to Henry. Jace appraised her from head to foot with one quick look before he returned his attention to a rune on the back of Clary's hand.

Will on the other hand, looked her up and down. Not quite so briskly. "You don't look like a boy at all," he said. "You look like a girl in boys' clothes."

Tessa couldn't tell if his comment had been approving or disapproving of that. "Nate _knows _that jessamine is a girl," she pointed out crossly. "And the clothes will fit me better once I've Changed into her."

"Maybe you should do it now," said Will.

Tessa shut her eyes and let the change wash over her like bath water. When she opened her eyes again they were all watching her. Jem was the only one to give her a smile. Tessa still found the thought of being engaged to him hard to really believe.

"Uncanny," said Henry.

Tessa felt uncomfortable and so pointed to the device on the table. "What is that?"

"It's a sort of infernal device that Henry's created," Jem explained. "Meant to disrupt the internal mechanisms that keep the clockwork creatures running."

Clary leaned forward to examine the device. "You twist the bottom like this," she said, miming the action. "And then you try to get it stuck somewhere it will stick. Then it's supposed to rip the mechanism apart. Right Henry?"

Henry beamed. "Exactly Clary! It could do damage to you as well even if you aren't clockwork so don't hang on to it once it's activated. Now, I've only three so..."

He handed one to Jem, and one to Clary. Clary handed it directly o Jace who attached it to his breath. Charlotte took the third and clipped it wordlessly to his weapons belt.

"The message has been sent?" Tessa asked.

"Yes, we're only waiting for a reply from your brother now," Isabelle told her cheerily.

Charlotte unrolled a paper across the table and weighted the corners with a few brass gears and Alec's book, which she stole without comment from his lap. "This is a map that shows where Jessamine claims she and Nate normally met. It's a warehouse on Mincing Lane, down by Lower Thames Street. It used to be a tea merchants packing industry until the business went bankrupt."

Alec examined the map. "Mincing Lane, that's the center of the tea and opium trade isn't it? It would make sense for Mortmain to have a warehouse there."

Jem nodded, tracing his finger over the streets. "Such an odd place for Jessamine though. She always dreamed of such glamour- of being introduced at Court and putting her hair up for dances. Not of clandestine meetings in some sooty warehouse near the wharves."

"She did do what she set out to do," said Tessa. "She married someone who isn't a Shadowhunter."

Will's mouth quirked up into a smile. "If the marriage were valid she'd be your sister-in-law."

Tessa shuddered. "It's not that I hold a grudge against Jessamine, but she deserves better than my brother."

Jace rolled her eyes. "No offense, but Lillith the Queen of Hell would have deserved better than your brother, and I personally met and helped kill her."

Charlotte gave him a strange look, but didn't comment. Will reached under the table and drew out a crate of long, thin, weapons marked with glowing runes. "I'd nearly forgotten I had Thomas order these for me a few weeks ago. They've only just arrived. Misericords- good for getting between the jointure of those clockwork creatures."

"The question is," Jem said. "How do the rest of us watch Tessa's meeting without being noticed? We must be ready to intervene at any moment, especially if it appears that his suspicions have been aroused."

"Simple," Jace shrugged. "Get there first."

Will nodded. "Arrive first and hide ourselves. It's the only way. Then we listen to see if Nate says anything useful."

"I dislike the idea of Tessa being forced to speak with him at all," muttered Jem

"She can well hold her own; I have seen it," Will pointed out. Besides, he is more likely to speak freely if he thinks himself safe. Once captured, even if the Silent Brothers do explore his mind, Mortmain may have put blocks up to protect his mind, which can take time to dismantle."

Isabelle tossed her hair. "Of course Mortmain will have put blocks in his mind. He'd be stupid not to. Besides, Tessa would have been able to touch Jessamine's thoughts if her mind had been open."

"Even more likely he would have done it to Nate then," Jace said. "It's so hard to find minions who won't squeal these days."

"The boy is week as a kitten," Henry said. "I have a marvelous device called the Confuse that will have him spilling everything in his mind."

Charlotte held up her hand. "Not now Henry. if we must utilize the Confuser we will do so when Nathaniel Gray has been brought back here. At the moment we must concentrate on reaching the warehouse. I suggest that Cyril takes us there, and then returns for Tessa."

"Won't Nathaniel recognize the Institute carriage?" Alec said worriedly.

"Jessamine was decidedly on foot when I saw her," Tessa agreed. "I shall walk on foot."

"You will get lost," Will told her.

"I won't," Tessa argued, gesturing at the map. "It's a very simple walk."

An argument ensued with Will, Jem, and Jace all against the idea of Tessa walking through London streets alone. It was decided that henry would drive the carriage, and Cyril would walk behind Tessa. Eventually she just agreed because it seemed simpler.

"I don't suppose anyone is going to point out that we are once again leaving the Institute without a Shadowhunter to protect it?" Will said.

"Not a problem," Jace said immediately. "Isabelle and Clary can stay behind with Sophie."

Isabelle glared bloody murder and Clary spoke. "There is no way in hell you are making me stay behind."

"I'll start staying behind when Alec does," Isabelle said.

"If it means you stay I'll stay," Alec said, with the true protectiveness of an older brother. "I trust Clary to keep Jace from doing something incredibly stupid."

"I resent that," Jace said without real inflection. "Though I do agree with that plan. You two can stay behind with Sophie and Bridget to make sure no one lays siege on the Institute."

As if on cue, Bridget's voice wafted towards them with another miserable ballad;

"_So John took out his pocket_

_A knife both long and sharp,_

_And stuck it through his brother's heart,_

_And the blood came pouring down._

_Says John to William, 'Take off thy shirt,_

_And tear it from gore to gore,_

_And wrap it around your bleeding heart,_

_And the blood will poor no more.'"_

"By the Angel," said Charlotte. "We really are going to have to do something about her before she drives us all to madness aren't we?"

Jace dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his temples. "Oh it is way too late for that at this point. We all hit the place known as crazy a _long _time ago."

They received a note from Nate and Gideon Lightwood entered moments after. Gideon glanced around the room, looking calm and unruffled as always. "You called on me," he said to Charlotte. "And I am here though I know not why, or what for."

"To train Sophie ostensibly of course," said Charlotte. "And I thought it useful to have another Shadowhnter of age present besides Alexander and Isabelle. Sophie suggested you."

"And how long will you be gone?"

"Two hours, three. Not all night."

"All right." Gideon unbuttoned his cloak and sat down. He looked like he had been walking in the cold hatless. "My father say it's good practice for when we run the place."

Jace looked Gideon up and down. "I see where the genes come from," he muttered.

Charlotte shot him another look before turning away. "In any case we are grateful for your assistance."

Gideon turned to Sophie. "Are you ready to train?" Sophie nodded and they walked out together.

The others departed to the carriage directly after that.

**A/N: Review for me! I think the chapter is good but I won't know if you don't tell me! I was thinking there will be 2 or 3 more chapters before this is over. High school is starting on the fifth for me, so updates might get a bit more spread out. Review!**

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	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: If this part is really that important to you then go look at one of the other chapters. And if it's _that _important to you, I'd try to get some help from someone.**

The warehouse was a huge limestone building surrounded by a black iron fence. The whole place gave off an aura of foreboding and grimness. The windows had been boarded over, and a thick padlock held the gates shut. The carved words, Mortmain and Co. could barely be seen above the door beneath layers of soot.

Jace chose to skip using a rune on the padlock, and instead chose to bypass it by simply ripping the lock off of the bars. Clary drew an opening rune that took care of the front door, and also unlocked several near by windows. All questions were politely suspended thanks to the incentive of a death glare from Jace that could fell a bear in a moment.

The door led to a suite of offices. Only one of them was furnished, with a desk, a green-shaded lamp, and a floral sofa with a high carved back. "Doubtless where Jessamine and Nate accomplished the majority of their courtship," Jace observed cheerfully.

Jem made a disgusted noise and poked at the couch with his cane. Jace was flipping through a sales record. Charlotte and Clary were hastily going through the desk drawers.

"I didn't know you'd taken such a strong anti-courtship stance," Will observed to Jem.

"Not on principle. The thought of Nate Gray touching anyone-" Jem made a face. "And Jessamine is so convinced he loves her. If you could see her, I think even you might pity her, Will."

"Doubt it," Jace muttered.

"I would not." Will said at the same time. "Unrequited love is a ridiculous state, ant it makes those in it behave ridiculously." He tugged at the bandage on his arm as if it were paining him. "Charlotte, Clary? The desk?"

"Nothing," Clary said, sliding a drawer shut.

Charlotte shook her head as well. "Some papers listing the prices of tea and the times of tea auctions, but other than that nothing but dead spiders."

"How romantic," Jace commented, snapping the papers shut and dropping them onto the table. "That really is a riveting read. I recommend it for anyone who assumes that it's impossible to actually fall asleep from boredom."

He ducked into the next room behind Will and Jem. It was a huge, shadowy space, it's ceiling disappearing into darkness. Rickety wooden steps led up to a second floor gallery. Large burlap bags were piled against the walls. Jem was using his cane to knock away spider webs, and Will was casting his witchlight around to illuminate the space. Henry had left to investigate on e of the sacks.

"Broken bits of loose-leaf tea," he said. "Orange pekoe, from the looks of it."

"Did you find any coffee?" Jace asked from his position in the doorway. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Clary give him a grin.

Jem was shaking his head, looking around. "I am perfectly willing to accept that this was an active tea trading office at one point, but it's clearly been shuttered for years, ever since Mortmain decided to interest himself in mechanisms instead. And yet the floor is clear of dust." he took Will's wrist to guide the glow of the witchlight over the smooth wooden floor. "There has been activity here- more than simply Jessamine's and Nate's meeting in a disused office."

"There are more offices that way," Clary said pointing. She ducked underneath Jace's arm so that she could actually be in the room.

Henry brightened up again. "Excellent! Charlotte and I will search them. Jem, Will, Jace, Clary, you four go together to examine the second floor."

Will grinned at Jem over the fact that Henry was giving orders. They all moved up the stairs, they creaked under Will, and again beneath Jem's lighter weight. Jace moved silently as always, and Clary was so light that the stairs barely seemed to register that she was walking on them. The witchlight in Will's had threw jagged shadows against the wall.

The group found themselves on a platform where trunks of tea had probably been stored once, or maybe a foreman had used it to watch the events below. Now the only figure was the body of a young man lying prone on the ground. Will felt his heart beat faster at the sight of the silver hair and bruised eyes rimmed with silver lashes. Clary instinctively moved closer to Jace, and Jace felt a sharp prong of foreboding in his chest.

"Will?" Jem called. He stepped forward and took the man's wrist to check for a pulse just as Charlotte entered from the stairs. She looked pale, and a little bit ill. "He has a pulse," Jem said. "Will?"

Will walked forward and sat beside his friend. Jace and Clary followed. "His skin looks silver," Clary said quietly. "Like he's been dusted with it or something. What happened to him?"

Will stiffened, he heard the alternate question beneath that one, addressed to Jem. _What happened to you? _

"It's the result of taking a drug known as _yin fen." _Jem explained calmly. "Once overly exposed to the drug, taking it is vital if you want to survive. This is the end result."

Clary put one hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said gently. "I shouldn't have asked." At that moment the man's eyes fluttered open. They were wide silver discs. Jace watched Will, and saw a bright flash of recognition in his eyes.

"You're a werewolf," he said. "One of the packless ones, buying _yin fen _off the ifrits down the Chapel. Aren't you?"

The werewolf's eyes roamed over them all and fastened on Jem. His lids narrowed, and his hand shot out, grabbing Jem by the lapels. "You," he wheezed. "You're one of us. 'ave you got any of it on you- any of the stuff?"

Jace's hand shot out faster than most people's eye sight could fully register and wrapped the werewolf's hand hard enough for him to let go. Jem recoiled and Jace repositioned his hand so that it held the werewolf's wrists. "Don't touch him." He twisted his wrist slightly. Will could almost hear the bone protest "Or any of us." Then he released his hand.

"He doesn't have any of your filthy drugs," Will cut in. "It doesn't work on us Nephilim like it does you."

"Will." There was a small plea in Jem's voice: _Be kinder. _

Clary clearly heard it to, and moved forward a little. Jace moved with her automatically, not quite trusting that the werewolf was as weak as he looked. "You work for Mortmain don't you?" Clary said in a soft voice. "Can you tell us what you do for him? Where he is?"

The werewolf laughed. Blood bubbled over his lips and onto his chin. Some of it splattered onto Jem's gear, and Jace's boots. "As is- I'd know where the Magister was," he wheezed. "Bloody fools the lot of you. Bloody useless Nephilim. If I 'ad me strength-."

"Right now it's pretty obvious that you don't," Jace pointed out. "So let's save the threats for some blind man who can't see how obviously incapable you are and might believe it shall we?. Now, answer her question, maybe we do have some _yin fen _to give you."

"You don't. You think- I don't know?" The werewolf's eyes wandered. "When 'e gave it to me first, I saw things- such things as yer can't imagine- the great crystal city- the towers of Heaven-" Another spasm of coughing racked through him. This time the blood was tinged a mercurial silver.

"Allicante," Clary murmured. She pulled her sketch pad from a bag attached to her weapons belt. She flipped through it to a picture she had drawn of the city. The skyline of Allicante was depicted perfectly on the page in charcoal and silver pencil.

"I thought I were going to live forever- work all night, all day, never get tired." The werewolf continued. "Then we started dying off, one by one. The drug, it kills ya, but 'e never said. I came back to see if maybe there was still more stashed away somewhere. But there's none. No point leavin' I'm dyin' now. Might as well die 'ere as anywhere."

"He knew what he was doing when he gave you that drug," Jem said. "He knew it would kill you. He doesn't deserve your secrecy. Tell us what he was doing- what he was keeping you working on all night and day."

"Putting those _things_ together- those metal men. They don't 'alf give you the willies, but the money were good and the drugs were better-"

When Jem spoke, his words were uncharacteristically bitter. "And a great deal of good that money will do you now. How often did he make you take it? The silver powder?"

"Six, seven times a day."

"No wonder they're running out of it down the Chapel," Will muttered. "Mortmain is controlling the supply."

Jace's eyes narrowed. "I would stock up if I were you," he said. "If Mortmain controls the supply of the drug it gives him leverage over you. I don't think you should give him the opportunity. The results could be," Jace tried to pick the correct word momentarily. "Unpleasant."

Will nodded but Jem merely ignored it. "You're not supposed to take it like that," he said. "The more you take the faster you die."

The werewolf's eyes fixed on Jem. "And you?" he grunted. "'Ow long have _you_ got left?"

Will turned to see Charlotte motionless behind him at the top of the stairs. He raised a hand to gesture her over. "Charlotte, if we can get him downstairs, perhaps the Silent Brothers could do something to help him. if you could-"

But Charlotte, to Will's surprise had turned pale green. She put her hand over her mouth and dashed away.

Clary looked after her in concern. "Do you think I should go after her?" she asked Jace. "She looked like she was going to be sick. Like really badly."

Jace nodded. "Yes, go. We'll take care of this." She moved away and Jace turned back to Will and Jem. "Will you take his shoulders. Jem and I can grab his feet."

"There's no point," Jem said in an empty voice. "He's dead."

Will turned back. The big silver eyes were open, glassy, and staring. They were fixed on the ceiling, his chest had ceased rising and falling. Jem reached out to close his eyelids, but Will caught his friend by the wrist. "Don't."

"I wasn't going to give him the blessing, Will. Just close his eyes."

"He doesn't deserve that. he was working with the Magister!" Will's whisper was quickly rising to a shout.

"He is like me," Jem said simply. "An addict."

Will looked at him. "He is _not like you. _And you will not die that way."

Jace cut them both off. "Now is probably a bad time for this." He reached over and closed the werewolf's eyelids. Then he looked up at Will and jem who were both watching him carefully. "All people deserve to die with the same blessing. Not all Downworlders are evil. Clary's mother is marrying a Shadowhunter who used to be a werewolf. He's one of the lucky few people in this world I trust." Jace reached into his pocket where Clary had placed her drawing of Idris and tucked it between the werewolf's hands."Ave atque vale."

Jem looked surprised. "Jace..."

Then they all heard the sound of a door opening, and a voice calling out Jessamine's name. Will released Jem's wrist and all three of them dropped flat to the ground. They inched to the edge of the gallery to see what was happening on the warehouse floor.

Tessa had just entered looking like Jessamine, and glancing around uncertainly. "Nate?" she whispered.

He stepped out from between to flaking pillars made from plaster. All they could see from the gallery was a blonde head with a black top hat. "Jessamine," he said, relief evident in his tone. "My darling." He opened his arms.

Tessa moved forward slowly and Nate's arms wrapped around her. He pulled her hat off and Jace noticed that Will's hands had tightened considerably on the ledge of the gallery.

"I need to know where the Magister is," Tessa began in a shaking voice. "It's terribly important. I overheard some of the Shadowhunter's plans, you see. I know you don't wish to tell me, but..."

"I see," Nate said. "But first, come and kiss me, sweet-and-twenty."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Some people need to not quote Shakespeare," he muttered. "Ever. Under any circumstances."

Nate began to laugh, and with a jerk of his wrist he sent Tessa's hat spinning into the shadows. "My apologies for my impetuous behavior," he said. "I couldn't help but be curious to see how far you'd go to protect your Shadowhunter friends... little sister."

**A/N: Dum dum dum duuuummmmm. What did you think? I know the POV wasn't to clear in this chapter, but I wasn't sure exactly who this would sound better coming from. I can change it around a bit if you guys want.**

**Okay, everyone put on a serious face :!. I'm serious, quit laughing. You now have 2 options so listen up.**

**1. I can wrap this story up in the next week or so in about two chapters and put a nice pretty bow on it and people can move on very happily. I even have a plan with departure lines planned out and everything.**

**2. I can have the Portal epically fail and continue the story into Clockwork Princess. Maybe I can even have the Portal suck a few extra people from the Mortal Instruments get sucked back in time, but you people are going to have to be content with me updating way less often. I hear high school tends to limit a whole lot of your free time.**

**Let me know what you guys choose. I wish only to do what will make the most of you readers love me. Now it's like really late if you live in the same half of the country as I do, so review for me and then go to bed.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: My name is not Cassandra Clare, therefore you can concur that I am not the rightful owner of the Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices, plot lines, or characters. I just barrow then without permission for some unplanned fun.**

Jace watched the drama unfolding below him. It was like watching a slightly familiar play. You could basically predict what was about to happen, but the twists still hit you every time like a punch to the stomach. He winced internally as Nate revealed the truth about Tessa's family. Finding out your parents weren't actually your parents and the person who raised you for a considerable amount of time wasn't your parent either by having a conversation with a traitorous member of said family was not ever fun. In fact, Jace could say from personal experience that it was, for lack of a better description, really freaking suckish.

Jace made a quick mental check of all of his weapons when Tessa launched in to her self defensive maneuvers. This was actually a bit of an impressive feet seeing as Jace kept more sharp objects on his person than one of your lamer hedgehogs. Will sitting beside him was more tense than a coiled spring as Tessa and Nate struggled. Jace felt a sharp stab of empathy for his ancestor, if it had been Clary in Tessa's position he would be just about ready to strangle something. Possible several stranglizations and a violent axe murder.

"Look!" Nate spat. "It's time you knew what you're up against."

Jace rubbed his hands together. _Yes do. _He thought. _Why don't you show us your personal ace in the hole. It'll make it so much easier to trump it._

He very quickly began to backtrack that thought when the 'thing' eventually emerged from the shadows. It was twenty feet tall at least and made out of what looked like iron. It moved with almost no jointure, like a single fluid mechanism. The only thing that was anything like a recognizable humanoid was the fact that it's torso split off in to two legs. Each leg ended with feet that were tipped with metal spikes that looked capable of gouging your stomach out. It's arms were finished with claw-like hands, and it's head was a smooth, unbroken, oval disturbed only by a gap for a mouth. A pair of twisted silver horns spiraled up and a line of blue fire crackled between them.

Jace narrowed his eyes and saw that in it's hands it was holding a limp body in black gear. He managed to make out Charlotte's features and felt a guilty stab of relief. It was obviously a bad thing that Charlotte was held in the clutches of a huge metal giant built for killing, but in Jace's mind, the first thing that had registered was that it wasn't Clary. He peered into the edges of the room and caught sight of a flash of red hair. Clary had ducked into a relatively safe alcove behind a huge pillar.

"Charlotte!" Tessa screamed, redoubling her efforts to get away from Nate.

Nate retaliated by smacking her across the face. Jace saw Will's hands clench around the handle of his seraph blade. He was holding it so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Jem had gone to the state that Clary liked to call 'Scary Calm.' Nathaniel chuckled. "A prototype," he said. "Abandoned by the Magister. Too large and cumbersome for his purposes. But not for mine." He raised his voice. "Drop her."

The metal hands opened, and Charlotte tumbled to the ground with a thump that made Jace's stomach turn over and flop back into place. He narrowed his field of vision momentarily to focus on Charlotte, and confirmed with relief that she was still breathing.

"Now crush her," Nate ordered.

Henry darted from out of nowhere and lashed out at the creature's leg. There was a clang of metal on metal as it's foot came down inches from Charlotte's unconscious body. Henry lashed out again and stared in shock as the seraph blade shattered. The creature's hand whipped forward and launched Henry backwards into one of the pillars with incredible force.

Nate laughed. "Such a display of matrimonial devotion," he scoffed derisively. "Who would have thought it? Jessamine always said she thought Branwell couldn't stand his wife."

"You're a pig," Tessa said, struggling in Nate's grasp. "What do you know abut the things people will do for each other? If Jessamine were burning to death, you wouldn't look up from your card games! You care for nothing and no one but yourself."

"Truth hurts," Jace muttered.

"Be quiet or I'll loosen your teeth for you." Nate said, shaking her. He called out, "Come over her! You must hold her until the Magister arrives."

The creature began to lurch it's way towards Nate. "I think this is probably the right time to be getting involved," Jace hissed to Will and Jem.

Will ground his teeth together. "I couldn't agree with you more."

They both looked to Jem who was wearing an expression of grim determination. "Gentleman," he said. "I believe we have what is known as a majority."

"Excellent," Jace said brightly, launching himself off the gallery. He landed and balanced nimbly on the creatures left shoulder. The automaton bucked, trying to throw him, and Jace used the momentum to rocket upwards and land on the creature's huge, egg shaped head. he found some purchase in the gaps between the metal plates that made up the surface and hung on like a bull dog. Will and Jem joined him on the creature's shoulders dug into the metal with Seraph blades. Personally, Jace had almost no clue what would take out the clockwork monster for good, but he assumed a knife in the head wouldn't feel all that great.

Out of his peripheral vision he saw that Clary and Tessa had so far managed to drag Charlotte out of harms way. Now he could only hope that Clary would have the good sense to stay out of trouble until he could find a way down to the floor to help her. So basically, he had approximately twelve seconds before something went very, very, wrong.

"Shake them off!" Nate called. "Shake them off you bastard.

The creature shook violently like a dog trying to shake off water, and Jem fell to the ground. Jace managed to hold on by sliding down to the shoulders, and Will stayed on by catching tightly at the automaton's neck.

"Do you think you could not encourage it?!" Jace yelled down to Nate. "If you're going to bother to make robots you should try to make them normal sized! Maybe then you could find some spare parts to make a brain!"

Clary threw up her hands in exasperation. "Don't give him advice!" She had reached Henry by then and was drawing iratz's at a feverish speed.

A few feet a way from her, Tessa had changed her form to match Nate's and was using that to confuse the clockwork creature. She had thrown a small bronze cylinder to Will that Jace recognized as the device Henry had given them in the library. Nate turned to Tessa. "Enough of your games you stupid little-" Jace was ready to bet that the next words of that insult was likely not going to be "darling sister dearest" but he never got to find out because Nate was pulled away in the pincers of the monster.

"Jace!" Will shouted. "The device! Put it here!" Jace looked around and saw that Will had managed to open a panel in the creature's back and had lodged the device in it. Jace managed to clamber and slide down to a point where he was even with Will and threw the device as far into the wiring as possible. "Now get clear!"

That sounded like a fabulous plan to Jace, so he leaped to the ground, tucked and rolled. He came up running and tackled Clary to the ground. The creature began to rip apart with earsplitting groans, and Jace felt a rain of sharp fire dropping onto his back. He did his best to tuck Clary completely under him to block her body.

Clary opened his eyes and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

Jace took experimental stock of his body. He could feel several hot shards of shrapnel embedded in his back, blood was leaking across his shoulders and through his hair, and if his muscles could have talked they would be screaming in epic protest. "I've had worse."

She frowned. "It's a little sad that I know you're not lying to me right now."

Jace shrugged and then winced in pain. "It's still worth it." He managed to shift so that he was lying on his stomach on the floor and Clary was free to get up. CLary began to draw an Iratze but Jace stopped her. "Don't. The shrapnel has to come out first, and they can do that later. Go see what's going on with the others. Tell them me and Will are going to need some help."

Jace couldn't see, but he heard Clary move away towards the others. He dropped his head back down on the floor. He wouldn't say his back felt like it was on fire, he knew what that literally felt like, but he was in _exceptional _amounts of pain. He began to drag himself along the ground towards Will, but had to stop because the ocean had suddenly decided to fill his eyes. When he could see again he continued.

Will looked at him with glazed eyes. "You blocked Clary didn't you?"

Jace nodded as best he could. "This whole chivalry thing you guys do now is a real bitch and a half."

Will gave a very week chuckle. "Oh, Angel. I believe I'll pass out now. I hope to regain consciousness soon."

"I am right behind you," Jace promised fervently. A moment later the world went very, very, blurry, and Jace gave up the fight to stay awake.

**Author's Note: So? What did you think about this? I thought I did this chapter very well. You should know that almost everyone who bothered to vote on weather or not to continue this story said yes, so I will be keeping going. On the other hand, I have to deal with taking 3 honors classes this year, and a Spanish class that is probably about two levels higher than I will ever have even a tiny hope of understanding. To fill for every side I have made a plan too give you guys some lovely options.**

**1. If you want the story to be very nicely wrapped up sooner rather than later then you can stop reading after the next chapter or two, and be wholly satisfied.**

**2. You can keep reading far apart follow up chapters that will lead to a different ending somewhere in Clockwork Princess.**

**Tell me what you thought of the story! I need your feed back to make this worth while.**

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	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of these characters or anything to do with them apart from the words I am making them say and the actions I am making them perform. It's like renting a movie and then occasional pausing and starring at extremely hot actors shirtless for a few minutes. You didn't actually create most of the images, you just enjoy the storyline and visual.**

Getting burning hot, incredibly sharp pieces of medal driven into your back is not a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination. Getting the fragments pulled back out again was even less fun because it took longer, and their were a lot of little pieces to actually be removed. While neither option was a good option, Jem and Alec were fast discovering that holding the hand of the person whose back the metal was being pulled out of wasn't exactly a big barrel of laughs either.

Alec winced as Brother Enoch extracted another piece of shrapnel. Jace's fingers tightened further around his, nearly crushing the bones in Alec's fingers and wrist. He stood and bore it though, it was his job as _ parabatai_. He was just internally praying that Jace's skin would quit burning his. Currently, it felt the way he imagined it would feel to have your hand super glued to a semi-hot poker. A semi-hot poker that was holding his hand. A semi-hot poker holding his hand that was rapidly headed to being a burning poker.

Alec looked over to Jem who had an expression of concern that he imagined probably mirrored his own. Jem's fingers looked like they had probably already been fractured to some degree, or at the very least lacking proper circulation judging by the purplish white color the tips had turned. At least Alec's finger bones had maintained the correct number of pieces.

A sharp temperature spike jolted through Jace's hand into Alec's. Alec took a deep breath and then spoke up. "Jace. This is probably going to not be something you want to hear right now, but you need to figure out some way to calm down before your clothes and my skin both catch fire."

Jace gritted his teeth. "The issue of you being flammable is not really the one at the forefront of my mind at the moment Alec. I'm a little busy with the burning shards of metal being pulled out of my flesh. We can find you Aloe later." He let out a hiss of air as the Silent Brother pulled out a particularly nasty shard. He turned his head towards Will who was taking deep breaths to lower his heart rate and minimize blood flow. "Do you guys have aloe now?" he looked back up and glanced form Jem to Alec. "When was Aloe Vera developed?"

Alec rolled his eyes. Even injured Jace had the ability to be a complete pain in the ass. "How in the Angel am I supposed to know when Aloe Vera was invented?"

Jem blinked, momentarily diverted from the pain Will was in. "What?"

Jace groaned and dropped his head face first into the mattress. "Never mind," his voice sounded muffled which was handy since he let out a shout into the padding a moment later. He pulled his head back up and spoke through clenched teeth. He sucked in hissed breaths between them, and tried to keep the pattern even.

_It is done. _The Silent Brother said to them and Alec immediately moved to draw an iratze. He stuck with just two because he knew full well that Clary would be drawing more as soon as she got through the door. He did re-apply several pain killing runes though, and was relieved to see the muscles in Jace's back relax as the runes began to take effect. "Thanks Alec," Jace murmured. iratzes were handy, but when used in higher quantities they could make you tired.

"No problem," Alec said, flexing his fingers experimentally. There was a faint twinge of pain, but everything seemed to be working. There were shiny pink patches of burned skin along the sides of his hand, but Alec thought that they would likely heal back over soon.

"Sorry," Jace said around a yawn. "Didn't mean to."

"It's fine," Alec told him, drawing a quick healing rune for himself. "On the bright side, you didn't actually set anything on fire, and the glowing stayed at a basic minimum."

"Movement in a positive direction," Jace said with a half smile.

"Why would you be glowing Jace?" Jem asked. Will let out a guttural sound of pain as Brother Enoch moved on to him, and Jem immediately focused his attention back on him, and away from the issue of why a person would be glowing, no matter what was going on. "Will, are you sure you won't have another pain-killing rune?"

"No more," Will ground out. "Just get it over with." Brother Enoch pulled out another piece of shrapnel.

Jem reoffered his hand. "Grip my fingers. It will help with the pain. There are only a few more to go."

"Easy-for you to say," Will gasped, relaxing slightly at Jem's touch. A few moments later all of the metal was removed, and both Jace and Will were fast on their way to dream town.

Jem sighed. "I suppose that's the best place for the both of them. Being asleep should help them recover. Now, are you going to tell me why you and Jace were discussing Jace glowing?"

Alec sighed, and sat in an armchair. "It's a little bit complicated, but the short version of it is that Jace had a bit of a nasty run in with Michael's sword Glorious. He caught fire and was unconscious for days, but it could have been a lot worse. There are times when the Heavenly Fire burns more than others. It jacks up his body temperature, and, sometimes, he kind of glows."

Jem frowned. "I don't remember hearing anything about any such thing. Charlotte would have heard about something like this from other members of the Enclave, or the Inquisitor."

Alec rubbed his temples, trying to decide weather or not to explain what was going on with where and when they had all come from. He was basically destined to find out at some point, why not now? He met Jem's steady gaze. "There are a few important things you should probably know about Me, Clary, Isabelle, and Jace. I can tell you now or you can go through your life normally until we leave and never be bothered with any of this again."

"I would prefer now if you please," Jem said firmly. he had had a firm inkling for quite a while now that there was something fundamentally different, or strange with these visitors, and now something was telling he was about to have it confirmed.

Alec nodded, having expected nothing else. When given the choice, people hardly ever chose the option that would probably be better for them in the long run. "You should probably sit down. This gets a little bit complicated, and it might take a while to explain the right way."

Jem took a chair at the foot of Will's bed facing Alec and nodded for the other boy to go on.

Alec took a moment to arrange his thoughts and then began. "The fundamentals of what we've told you are true," he began. "Isabelle is my sister. Jace is my _parabatai _and adopted brother, since he was ten. He and Clary both have extra angel blood due to experiments done by Clary's father when they were babies. He turned out to be evil and is now dead. Clary's brother is evil, and when we showed up we were trying to get to a Clave meeting about the situation. Mine and Isabelle's parents do run the Institute in New York."

Jem frowned. "I sense the complications coming up rather quickly.

Alec nodded. "The complicated part isn't where we're from. It's more a question of _when _we're from. Think back to the first question that anyone of us ever asked you."

"What's the date and the year," Jem said immediately.

Alec sucked in a quick breath, and then took the metaphorical plunge. "I was born on November 12th 1995. Isabelle's was born in the middle of the worst March snow storm put on record for 1997. Jace was cut out of his mothers dead stomach on September 23rd 1996, and Clary's birthday is exactly four months after Izzy's on August 19th. We live in the year 2013, and when we showed up we were expecting to be in modern day London." He waited for Jem's violent rebuttal of that, but it didn't come.

"As strange as it sounds, that is actually a logical explanation of the facts as you have presented them," Jem said slowly. He let his brain work through everything Alec had said, and put it together with everything he had observed. The strange clothing the group had arrived in, the altered speaking patterns, and the increased physical contact that Clary and Jace particularly shared was explained by the idea of a different time as a point of origin. Of course customs would be different 130 years later.

"Really?" Alec said, blinking. "I expected a bit more frantic denial. Jace said Will passed out when he found out."

"How long has Will known?" Jem asked immediately. "Why didn't he tell me."

Alec shrugged. "It was a lot to process, and he's only known for about two days. Tessa has known for less time than that. Besides, Will had to swallow a little bit more than what you just did."

"There's more?" Jem asked. His voice held a slight note of incredulity.

"A bit," Alec said guiltily. "Isabelle and I are Lightwoods. Clary is actually Clarissa Fairchild," he paused for a moment. "Jace's given name is Jonathan Christopher." He stopped again and swallowed. "Jonathan Christopher Herondale."

Jem's face went pale as his mind immediately assessed that piece of information. The others he could take being descendants of the Lightwoods, and of Charlotte and Henry, but _Will? _That was something of a shock. Will barely ever showed signs of care towards anyone. Marriage and children, they had never seemed like anything that would happen, regardless of how large Will's heart actually was. Finally he spoke. "I suppose that explains the fear of ducks."

**Author's Note: Tell me what you thought. That is a direct order. I thought that it was probably the time for Alec to have a little share time, and him talking to Jem seemed like a pretty good move. It also gave me a way to bring Jem in to the loop about where the mortal instruments gang are from. I didn't know the character's actual birthdays, so I made them up randomly. If anyone does know I would appreciate them telling me. Next chapter I'm having everyone take a little trip to La casa de Magnus. I see a possibly malfunctioning Portal in the literary future. Review for me! That's what makes the sleep deprivation actually worth it.**

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	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters at all. Cassandra Clare does.**

Jace woke up to the sound of soft footsteps. He opened his eyes and saw Clary hovering by the foot of the bed. Her hair was down around her face in scarlet tendrils, and she was wearing a nightgown that must have been provided by one of the residents of the Institute. She was biting the edge of her thumb nail and looking at him with a worried expression.

"Well," he said. "I live. Are you here to play nurse maid?"

Clary looked at him reprovingly, but Jace could see the edges of a smile flickering around her lips. "Not this time. But I'm sure I could ask Magnus to zap Simon down here if you're dead set on a sponge bath."

Jace gave the best approximation of a shrug he could give while lying flat on his back. It was a pretty commendable effort. "You can't blame me for trying. But I think Blood Boy can stay in century 21."

Clary rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "Are you ever going to refer to him with his actual name?"

"I may get close," Jace considered. "I don't suppose his middle name is something horribly embarrassing I could use against him?"

"It's Levi." Clary told him.

"Now that I can probably work with," Jace shifted so he was sitting upright against his pillows." He patted the mattress next to him. "Come here." Clary walked around the bed towards him, Jace took her hand and tugged her down so she was sitting next to him. Clary went without complaint and curled up so her head was resting against his shoulder near the hollow of his collar bone. Jace wrapped both of his arms around her and tipped his head to let it rest against hers.

"Have you heard anything more from Magnus?" Clary asked. Jace could feel her breath against his neck as she spoke.

Jace nodded and reached one arm over to his bedside table. He grabbed a folded up piece of paper and handed it to her. "This got delivered earlier today. There wasn't time to mention it earlier." Clary unfolded the paper and squinted at the words written in loopy script. _16 Cheyne Walk. _"I'm supposed to head over there later tonight."

Clary handed the paper back to her and curled back into his chest. "When are you leaving?"

He looked at the clock on the wall. "About three hours. In two and a half we should probably wake up Alec and Izzy. We're going home tonight."

"Thank the Angel," Clary said with relief. "Every time I look at Henry or Charlotte I see little resemblances of me. Traits that have been passed down. Whenever I see Gabriele Lightwood all I can think is that Izzy has the same kind of attitude. When Will makes a sarcastic comment it reminds me of you. It's driving me nuts."

"I know what you mean," Jace murmured fervently. "I'm finally meeting some of my family members and their _my_ age. It's..." he searched for words for a moment. He had a very large vocabulary of words and quotes, but that didn't mean it wasn't hard to choose the right one at times. Especially in a situation even Shakespeare would have found ineffable. "Bizarre," he finally decided.

"I know this is probably worse for you than it is for the rest of us," Clary murmured. "But at least you're getting some questions answered."

Jace looked down at her as best he could. She was looking up at him with huge, green eyes. She could ask him for anything in heaven or hell looking at him like that and he would break himself getting it for her. "I guess I am," he said. "But this whole time hoping event might have been a bit more helpful if we had shown up during the uprising. At least I would have actually met my parents."

Clary frowned, thinking it over. "Some things," she said. "Are so heartbreakingly confusing to bear. Maybe the universe thought that that experience would be a little to hard. Knowing what our parents choices would do... we'd make ourselves crazy trying to make it different. Maybe from here, not knowing the story, we can't try to change it."

Jace sighed. "Maybe you're right," he leaned down and kissed the top of Clary's head. "Now go to sleep. Time travel seems to take a lot of energy. I don't even want to know what cosmic jetlag is like on no sleep."

Clary yawned. "Yeah you're right. Wake me up before you get Alec and Izzy."

"I'm always right," Jace told her.

She hit him weekly. "Shut up."

"Yes ma'am." Jace shifted a pillow behind him to be more comfortable and stroked his fingers through the tangles in Clary's hair until she fell asleep. As the clock struck 11, he drifted off as well.

* * *

"Hey Golden Boy. Wake up." Will's snappish tone was enough to bring Jace into wakefulness in about 0.6 seconds.

"Keep your hair on great times 4 Grand Pappy," he rebuked, disengaging himself from Clary. "I've got some other people I need to wake up before we leave. You've gone like five years with this curse. I doubt another half-hour is going to kill you." Jace saw Will's eyes flick sideways and he followed their line. He saw Tessa curled under a mound of covers on the bed. Their was a thick bandage wrapped around her head.

Jacee didn't miss the way Will's face softened while looking at her. "Spoke too soon," he muttered. Jace shook Clary's shoulders gently. "Time to wake up Clary. We have to get Alec and Izzy awake, and trust me that is not a job for the sleepy. Lightwoods are known to be grouchy when coming out of hibernation."

Clary muttered something that sounded a bit like. "No one should sound this cheerful about waking people up," and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "I'll get Izzy. You wake up Alec. He's less likely to commit suicide if it's you." she stumbled out of the room, yawning as she went.

"You're taking all of them?" Will asked skeptically.

"Why no." Jace said sarcastically. "I thought I'd just let Alec hang around here and see if he survives 130 years back to present time as a little experiment." He stood up. "I have to go get ready."

* * *

Alec Lightwood had never been what you would call a morning person. He was more the, I'll-flay-you-alive-if-you-wake-me-up-before-I'm-r eady kind of a person. Only the fact that Jace was his _parabatai _had kept him from carrying out that exact threat. Instead he had collected anything he had actually taken out of his bag and shoved it back inside. He had stumbled all the way down the stairs to meet up with the others before his brain had actually processed that they were going to see Magnus.

_Going to see Magnus. _That thought by it's self had made his brain freeze and reboot before it could be fully processed. It had made him even more snappish than he normally was. he had graduated to the official level of irritability as a pissed of scorpion. Could scorpions get pissed off?

He couldn't think of what he would do when he came face to face with Magnus. But it would be something he had to figure out pretty quickly. They were almost to the address _now _and Jace and Will had apparently forgotten that they could move faster than most people. Alec and Isabelle were only keeping up because of the length of their legs. Clary on the other hand, had to take about two steps for every one of Alec's.

Isabelle had been watching him carefully since they had started. Alec wished she wouldn't. It only made the pressure inside his head increase.

They reached the correct door and waited as Will rung the door bell impatiently. Inability to wait for things was apparently a Herondale family trait. Not that Isabelle was the most patient person known to the world. They didn't actually have to wait long as the door was pushed open by... Woolsey Scott. Wearing a Chinese dressing gown. Alec felt his face blanche.

"Finally broken down and admitted you're in love with me have you?" he inquired of Will. "I do enjoy these surprise midnight declarations. Go along, have at it."

Will was speechless. Alec got the distinct impression that this was an event that didn't happen that often. He wondered if maybe someone should be writing this down for documentation. Apparently though, when you had both Jace and Will in one situation there was always someone around who could come up with a witty retort.

Jace didn't fail to come through. "And here I thought I was special," he quipped. Isabelle hid laughter behind a fake fit of coughing and Clary hid her face in Jace's chest. Alec on the other hand was a bit distracted by Magnus's voice floating towards them. "Oh leave Will be Woolsey," he said. "I told you people would be coming by."

More things were said but Alec couldn't process any of them. He felt like he had gone temporarily deaf. He was just looking at Magnus. The warlock's basic features were still the same. The dark hair and cat eyes along with dark skin were still the same, even the clothing was still what was probably considered eccentric for the time. The lack of glitter and makeup made a difference though. Alec thought it made him look both younger and more mature.

Magnus finally looked straight at him and then away to Will and Jace again. "Does he make a habit of imitating a fish? Or is this a new talent for him?"

That snapped Alec back into reality with a sharp zing. He hated the way Magnus looked at him like he had no clue who he was. It felt like someone had wrapped a rubber band around his heart and was snapping it repeatedly. He made a face like he was chewing a lemon. "Let's just get this over with," Alec snapped. "I want to go home."

Magnus shrugged. "All in good time. I promised to help Will before I even met you. We'll be summoning Marbas before anything else tonight." He brought them all into a large room and cleared it magically. He stepped forward into symbols on the floor and began to chat. Blood dropped from his arm in to the pentagram's center. The blood began to burn with an eerie glow. Magnus backed out of the pentagram still chanting and produced the demon's tooth from his pocket and tossed it into the center of the star.

It was a moment before anything happened, but a shape began to take form inside the pentagram as the cuts on Magnus's arms healed. The stopping of the bleeding was an immediate relief to Alec, and it took him a moment to tune back into the conversation.

"_I remember you," _the demon growled at Will. _"You chased me through the grounds of the Lightwood country house. You tore out one of my teeth." _It opened it's mouth to show the gap. _"I tasted your blood," _it hissed. _"When I escape this pentagram, I will taste it again Nephilim."_

"No," Isabelle said sharply. "You won't. He meant to ask if you _remembered _him." Alec looked to Isabelle, trying to tell her without words to ease off. Isabelle had officially adopted all of the London Shadowhunters as her family as soon as she had found out more about them. She had become protective accordingly.

Magnus narrowed his eyes with an expression Alec recognized as an implied threat. "Speak the truth or it will go badly for you Marbas."

The demon's head swung towards Will. "_You," _it said reluctantly. _"You are that boy. Edmund Herondale's son. I was trapped inside that enclosure for 22 years. Of course I remember being freed. Imagine if you can idiot mortal, years of blackness, darkness, no light or movement- and then they break, the opening. And the face of the man who imprisoned you hovering just above your gaze."_

"I am not the man who imprisoned you-" Will tried to say.

_"No that was your father. But you look just like him to my eyes. _The demon smirked and his head swung around to fix on Alec. _"As you do for that matter. I remember your sister. Brave girl, fending me off with that blade she could hardly use."_

"Well he's here today." Clary said. "Obviously she could use it well enough. Now answer weather or not you remember cursing Will."

The demon chuckled. _"'All that love you will find only death. Their love will be their destruction. it may take moments, it may take years, but any who look upon you with love will die of it. And I shall begin it with her.'"_

Alec frowned. "That spell seems like a bit of a big one to me. Especially for a demon just released from a Pyxis. You wouldn't have had enough energy for a curse like that."

Magnus looked at him and Alec felt his heart and stomach twist. "So he is intelligent," Magnus commented before turning away. Alec felt his face color and hurriedly looked away.

"But she died," Will said numbly. "Marbas said my sister would die, and she did. That night."

"Do you really wish to disobey me Marbas?" Magnus asked in a dangerous tone. "Do you wish to anger my father?"

Alec narrowed his eyes as the demon answered. The threat of Magnus's father had worked before, and Alec had wondered what kind of demon could possibly be that frightening. What demon would hold so much power the prince of hell was afraid to cross him? He would have to research it when he got back to the Institute with it's full library.

Will had slid to his knees. Alec imagined it had to be traumatic for him to find out that the curse he had run his entire life around was fake had to be a huge information bullet. Probably more of an information grenade. The shattered expression on his face was similar to the one Jace had worn when he had told them for the first time that he and Clary were apparently siblings.

"Will is right," Magnus said decisively. "Marbas, you _are _a blue skinned bastard. _Burn and die!" _

The demon proceeded to do just that. Alec made a mental resolution right then and there to talk with Magnus in the 21st century. He at the very least needed to end things on a better note than they had before.

"Everything I've done," Will breathed. "Al the lying and pushing people away, the abandoning of my family, the unforgiveable things I said to Tessa- a waste. A bloody waste, and all because of a lie I was stupid enough to believe."

"You were twelve and your sister was dead." Jace pointed out. "Marbas is a trickster, and you had no idea about Shadowhunting."

Will stared down at his hands. "My whole life wrecked, destroyed..."

"You're seventeen," Magnus said. He was using his -don't-be-ridiculous voice. "You can't have wrecked a life you've barely lived. And don't you understand what this means Will? You've spent five years convinced that no one could possibly love you, because if they did, they'd be dead. The mere thought of their survival proved their indifference to you. But you were wrong. Charlotte, Henry, Jem-your family-"

Alec mulled over that first statement. He knew several people who had come pretty damn close to wrecking lives they had only lived about half of. Unfortunately he was including himself in that assessment.

"Tessa," Will said finally.

"Well," Magnus sounded slightly amused. "I can give no assurances of what Tessa feels. If you have not noticed, Tessa is a decidedly independent girl. But you know have as much chance to win her love as any man does, Will, and isn't that what you wanted?" Magnus stood up. "if it's any consolation from what I observed on the balcony the other night, I do believe she rather likes you.

"Well I'm alive," Jace pointed out. "I'd view that as a pretty reassuring sign you'll find someone some day insane enough to marry you. And history suggests Tessa so, in the words of Winston Churchill, 'keep calm and kick ass.'"

"It's 'carry on' Jace," Alec said automatically. "'Keep calm and carry on."

Magnus looked at him. "What are you speaking about?"

Jace waved his hand. "Quote by a guy whose going to be important in a little while. He's about four years old now."

"Excellent," Magnus said, clapping his hands. "Now off you go Will. Go home and get some sleep so I can send these four back to whatever hellish future they came from."

**A/N: Sorry! School eats time like termites! I hope you like this chapter and will leave a review. I tried to put in a little Malec for all the people who wanted it. You never really get Alec's emotional view on stuff so it was a little weird writing his thoughts. Review for me!xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo oxooxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xxoxoxoxoxoxo**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this other then what I'm making the characters do and say.**

"If I didn't know better," Woolsey said as he watched Will make his way down the front walk. "I'd say you were rather fond of that boy."

"Know better in what way Woolsey?" Magnus asked. He was only half paying attention to the conversation, still mulling over everything that had happened that night.

"He's Nephilim," Woolsey said in a tone that suggested he was giving the most obvious answer to the simplest question ever asked. "And you've never cared for them. How much did he pay you to summon Marbas for him?"

"Nothing," Magnus said absently. In his head he was seeing times remembered, and times very nearly forgotten. He wasn't seeing the river or Will, he was just seeing a wash of faces and pieces of faces, fragments of memories and feelings. "I feel that he'll do me a favor one day. A favor I may need greatly."

Woolsey leaned back against the wall. "And what of these other Shadowhunters?" he asked, gesturing back into the room where Alec, Jace, Clary, and Isabelle were all sitting. "Do they also owe you a favor you hope to collect one day?"

Magnus shrugged. "I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea. I'm a warlock not a clairvoyant. I feel that this lot is made of people whom I once knew very well and cared about very much, and have since somehow forgotten about until now. I have the same sense of owing them for something, I just don't know what that something might be."

It was at that moment that Jace turned to look at Magnus and Woolsey. The last light of the day touched his hair and reflected off of his eyes, turning both to solid gold again. His face was unreadable, and closed. Magnus recognized the look now, it was the same expression Will used when evaluating a situation, and judging how best to act.

"Jace!" Clary's voice called. A moment later the small red head appeared at his side. Looking at the two of them together made Clary seem even smaller, her head barely brushed Jace's shoulder. He immediately looked down at her and his face and eyes softened immediately as the boy's entire attention shifted to her. He turned and moved back towards Alec and Isabelle with her.

"I suppose they are very pretty for humans," Woolsey mused

"They're both very broken," Magnus returned. "Like lovely vases that have been smashed. Will more so than Jace at the moment, though I suppose that may have been different not so long ago. Only luck and skill will be able to put the pieces back together again."

"Or magic," Woolsey suggested.

"I've done what I can," Magnus said softly, turning aside, and allowing the blinds to slide shut. "A job as delicate as mending a broken heart needs a more delicate touch than I have ever been able to manage. Clarissa seems to have the project of Jace well in hand, all we can hope for with Will is that Tessa will see the worth in placing her efforts in Will. It shouldn't be to difficult for her," he shrugged. "We are all drawn to what is both horribly broken and wonderfully beautiful."

Woolsey frowned. "Are you quite sure you've helped Will then?"

"Quite sure," said Magnus. "it is always better to live the truth than to live a lie. And that lie would have kept him alone forever. He may have had nearly nothing for almost five years, but now he can have everything. A boy who looks like that though he had already given his heart away... Perhaps it's for the best. What both Will and Jace need now is to love and have that love returned. Neither have had easy lives for ones so young. Jace has had a stroke of luck, Clary understands him. We can only hope Tessa will be able to do the same for Will."

From the window, Magnus could see will take a deep breath and square his shoulders. There seemed to be a new spring in his step as he walked away.

"You cannot save every fallen bird," said Woolsey, crossing his arms. "Even the handsome ones."

Alec moved across the doorway, for a moment his eyes flitted to Magnus, and the warlock caught a glimpse of deep sky blue. They were only different from Will's in the sense that Will had had any sense of shildlike wonderment or innocence stripped away long ago. Beneath the hard outside of Alec's eyes the ice seemed to give way to an innocence that was so missing from the world. Magnus felt like he could easily be pulled in by those eyes.

"Maybe one or two will do," Magnus said as he swung the front door shut.

Magnus moved down the hallway into the living room he had placed the American Shadowhunters. Alec and Isabelle were engaged in a conversation that sounded like it was rapidly deteriorating into bickering. Magnus couldn't really till what it was they were talking about, but honestly he didn't care all that much. Clary was sitting leaning against the arm of the sofa. Jace had apparently that he was tired and that it was time to take a nap. He was lying on the couch with his legs tossed over the end. One of his arms was wrapped around Clary's waist, and his other hand's fingers were twined with hers. His head was lying in Clary's lap, and her free hand was stroking through his golden curls. If Jace had been a cat, Magnus thought he would have been purring.

"You may want to clear the room," Magnus said in a bored tone. "Or you may not, if you'd like to be sucked into the Portal before it's finished that really isn't my concern."

Isabelle gave a derisive snort and tossed her hair, but still got up and moved. Alec followed her. Magnus got the strangest feeling that the boy was deliberately avoiding looking at him. Clary however, was a little hampered by the weight of Jace's head on her lap. Magnus watched her proceed to wake him up. She had an unusual way of doing it he thought. Instead of shaking him or calling to him, she tapped lightly at the inside of his wrist and talked to him very quietly. "Jace," she said softly. "Time to wake up. We're going home."

As Jace stretched and tightened his arm around her momentarily, Magnus compared this slow, gradual wake up to the one he had seen before when Camille had walked in. That time, Jace had jerked to full fighting awareness in seconds. The method Clary had used was very gentle and soft. Magnus realized that she must have _seen _how he would wake up under any abrupt circumstances, and had figured out a way to wake him up without doing that.

Jace blinked up at her. "Fine. I'll get up. But you owe me for the nap I'm not getting." he rolled off the couch and held out his hand to pull Clary up and then turned to level an annoyed gaze at Magnus. "Well you've woken me up now. The least you can do is get started."

Magnus gave him a look that normally had people tripping over their own feet to get away from him. Alec seemed to recognize the look and moved to stand directly to Jace's right side beside Clary. Isabelle fell into place a step behind her brother. Magnus had noticed that they always fell into that side, he guessed that had to be because Jace was left handed, and the right would be the vulnerable side in a fight.

Magnus sighed. "Oh relax. if you want to do something constructive then go stand by the wall." He turned away without bothering to check weather they had done what he said, and began to draw the Portal runes on the floor. He stepped back when it was finished. "One of you needs to think about where and when it is that you're aiming to go unless you want to be stuck between the dimensions forever.

"I'll do it," Alec muttered. "I'm the only one who really knows what the place looks like now anyway."

"Technically," Jace said. "We all know what it looks like _now. _What would be more useful is knowing what it looks like later."

"Is it later or then?" Isabelle questioned. "Knowing what it looks like then?"

Clary shook her head. "I think there's some sort of verb tense agreement issue with that sentence."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm the only one of you who can remember the place we're actually supposed to be going to. So get out of the way and let me get the Portal set." He stepped forward and slammed his eyes shut. He concentrated for a moment and the space on the floor rippled and formed an image of the library of the modern London Institute.

There was silence for a moment before Isabelle spoke. "Am I the only one who doesn't think this looks any different?"

"Oh no. It's different," Jace assured her. "I think they've changed the paint from Sandbar White to Tope over the last 130 years. And that bookshelf has been moved at least three feet to the left."

Alec flushed carnation pink. Magnus thought it went a long way to make the boy seem more life-like. "I can't help it if they haven't redecorated in over a century."

"I don't mean to be indelicate," Magnus interrupted. "But I've been up since two in the morning doing magic for you people, and I would appreciate you getting out of my house before I have to vaporize you. Besides, I'm feeling decidedly cranky at the moment."

Isabelle tossed her hair. "Well that's good enough motivation for me. Avoid the suspenders trend Magnus. It's a passing phase that will not be making a resurgence. They were part of a passing fashion trend that will forever be a beak spot on fashion history." With that she dragged Alec through the Portal after her.

Clary squeezed Jace's hand. "I'll give you a minute to talk with Magnus. I'll see you back in our century."

"Are you sure?" Jace asked. "What'll you do if you trip?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think Alec and I are good enough friends that he'll catch me. At the very least I can probably land on top of him." She leaned up on her toes and gave Jace a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be in your future."

"You always were," Jace said simply as she vanished. Then the boy turned to face him.

"Well?" Magnus asked with one eyebrow raised. "Are there any words of wisdom you wish to impart before you vanish off into god knows where?"

"Actually yes," Jace returned. "One, Isabelle is right about the suspenders. Two, and this is only because I'm sick of sabotaging Alec's cell phone; yes he screwed up on the immortality thing, get over it. He makes you happy. Three, there's going to be a moment when Will has to make a decision between staying with Jem as he dies or going after Tessa to save her life. You need to tell him to go after her."

"And if I don't?" Magnus asked petulantly.

Jace shrugged. "Well I can guarantee you you won't feel bad about it. If he doesn't go to save her, this conversation will never happen." He turned and lifted his bag, then he walked towards the Portal.

Magnus couldn't stop the question that came up through his lips. "Are you going to explain what happens then? Later I mean."

Jace turned as the portal began to glow. The light reflected off of his eyes, and made them glow with an almost supernatural quality. "I really can't," he mused. "I haven't read the end of the story yet. I'm still trying to live it. And hey who knows? You might be there to see it."

With that remark he vanished, and Magnus was left alone in an empty room.

**A/N: There you go guys. The story could end here if I can't ever find time to add to it. In the mean time there's a nicely wrapped up conclusion. I'm sorry about the time gap. I had a mega-history test this week. Review for me! **

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